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interestedinhanguk
Joined: 23 Aug 2010
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 Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 6:57 am Post subject: Will people stop saying it's illegal to volunteer on an E-2? |
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I've heard people talk about it before on this forum They argue back and forth as to whether it is legal or not. I'm talking about volunteer work. Some argue that it's considered "work" and is therefore technically illegal. Of course, this has always been a bunch of malarkey.
Now that there's the new point-based F-2 visa with its rubric, this can be put to rest. You can get points (added, not taken away like a violation) for volunteer work. |
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giraffe
Joined: 07 Apr 2009
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| Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 7:13 am Post subject: |
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Well thing is, The new point based F-2 visa is for all E visa holders not just E-2's. Soo Its possible that Volunteer work could be completely legal without the permission of gov in the other E visas. I wouldnt know i never checked. As far as i know, On an E2 visa you cant "legally" do volunteer work unless you get immigrations permission. Doesn't mean its impossible just need to report it to the gov. As long as it doesn't overlap with the main purpose for being on E2 visa i Cant see there being any problem with anyone whether you report it to gov or not. But i suppose if you were to not report it and then try to use those points on a F2 visa it might look odd?
Also, for the volunteer work , do they say if its volunteer work done only within korea ? or does that include any volunteer internationally? If its only within korea , It could be that some people who are applying for the F2 were at some point on a visa other than an E2... they could have been on a different work visa, student visa ect.. and somehow did volunteer....
ITs not only english teachers applying for those visas... |
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littlelisa
Joined: 12 Jun 2007
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 7:44 am Post subject: |
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| Because it's illegal without permission from immigration, as far as I understand it. If you have permission from immigration (I think it costs 60,000), then it is perfectly legal. |
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interestedinhanguk
Joined: 23 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 8:17 am Post subject: |
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| littlelisa wrote: |
| Because it's illegal without permission from immigration, as far as I understand it. If you have permission from immigration (I think it costs 60,000), then it is perfectly legal. |
Have you done this, or know anyone personally who has? |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 8:31 am Post subject: |
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| interestedinhanguk wrote: |
| littlelisa wrote: |
| Because it's illegal without permission from immigration, as far as I understand it. If you have permission from immigration (I think it costs 60,000), then it is perfectly legal. |
Have you done this, or know anyone personally who has? |
I was required to get permission from immigration when I started work at the foreigner help center. It is an "addition to your status of sojourn" and outside your permitted activities thus making the permission of immigration "IN ADVANCE" a requirement for most volunteer work.
This would also include working as a teacher or helper at an orphanage or in a church kindergarten.
They have made exceptions to some volunteer activities (like "oil spill cleanup") because there won't be any mistaking it for "work".
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CrikeyKorea
Joined: 01 Jun 2007
Location: Heogi, Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 4:13 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Because it's illegal without permission from immigration, as far as I understand it. If you have permission from immigration (I think it costs 60,000), then it is perfectly legal. |
I am not sure if that is completely correct. I not only run a group of volunteers through a non-profit organisation that is affiliated with the CHA, but also volunteer for a government organisation, and I have never had to request that stuff before... Although maybe I should check, I don't think it is a big deal. |
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Chris.Quigley
Joined: 20 Apr 2009
Location: Belfast. N Ireland
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| Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 7:11 pm Post subject: |
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Korea is not the only country like this... If you are not an American citizen DO NOT tell American customs or border protection agency officials that you plan on doing any kind of volunteer work. They will detain will likely deport you. If you drove, they will turn you around at the border.
This happened to me once. The border guard was nice though and just gave me a warning, basically it went something like this: "without a work visa or green card you cannot legally volunteer in the United States... wink wink nudge nudge...Have a nice stay in the USA" People in my family regularly go to the USA to volunteer building houses... They have to lie about what they are doing every time...
It's a stupid rule... but it's a rule... Korea is not the only country. I don't know about the rules in Canada but they are likely the same. |
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diver
Joined: 16 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 7:16 pm Post subject: |
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| Chris.Quigley wrote: |
Korea is not the only country like this... If you are not an American citizen DO NOT tell American customs or border protection agency officials that you plan on doing any kind of volunteer work. They will detain will likely deport you. If you drove, they will turn you around at the border.
This happened to me once. The border guard was nice though and just gave me a warning, basically it went something like this: "without a work visa or green card you cannot legally volunteer in the United States... wink wink nudge nudge...Have a nice stay in the USA" People in my family regularly go to the USA to volunteer building houses... They have to lie about what they are doing every time...
It's a stupid rule... but it's a rule... Korea is not the only country. I don't know about the rules in Canada but they are likely the same. |
I was reading, I think the INS web site, and the rules in the US are very strict. If you are a Canadian spending the winter int he US, and you help your neighbor build a porch, you could be in trouble even if you didn't get paid. they don't care if you get paid or not, they look at it as if you are taking away work from an American. |
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Skippy
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Daejeon
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| Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 9:19 pm Post subject: |
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Volunteering is also like illegal tutoring. Many people can get away with it but if they get noticed they get in trouble.
Also it depends on who you piss off. A popular blogger in the Korea blog scene pissed of the wrong Korean reporter, soon he had immigration officials investigating him to whether he got paid for some articles he got submitted. Thru he was paid the blogger commented that all it takes is someone in power taking a slight at your words to make problems for you.
From the article....
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This whole episode has implications for other bloggers and writers, and this recent incident together with my netizen run-in in 2008 made for a pretty nice blueprint of how to shut foreign writers up. A student, coworker, reader, or reporter who doesn't care for what a foreigner is writing in a publication can simply call immigration. Even if that writer is unpaid---most "opportunities" don't pay---the aggravation of having to go to immigration multiple times, having to open up your banking records, having to contact your editors and employers, and having to prove your innocence is enough to make somebody want to quit. I was fortunate that I was between classes at two different schools, and not being employed as a teacher. I nearly lost my job in 2008 because of my writing, and spent a good while in the school's doghouse, so I can just imagine what the reaction would have been were I summoned to immigration during school hours, and were my principals and coteachers subject to questioning as well. |
http://briandeutsch.blogspot.com/2010/04/investigated-by-immigration-over.html
Yea go volunteer but careful who might look into you later. Or will use this act of kindness and charity to get you fired or deported. |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 11:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Or, as one poster already mention, head to immigration and ask them for permission. |
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goesslry
Joined: 19 Jun 2007
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| Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 4:30 pm Post subject: |
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even though there are points, it IS still illegal. You have to get permission from immigration.
Case and point, a couple years ago there was a large oil spill on the East coast of korea, about 50 foreigners were volunteering to clean up. They were detained and deported.
You must obtain permission. Volunteer work only counts for the point system if it is a registered NGO. First hand knowledge, as I am the founder of a registered NGO. |
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Bibbitybop
Joined: 22 Feb 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 5:25 pm Post subject: |
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| goesslry wrote: |
Case and point, a couple years ago there was a large oil spill on the East coast of korea, about 50 foreigners were volunteering to clean up. They were detained and deported.
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At the time of the oil spill, there were numerous threads about helping clean up. The legality of volunteering came up. Everyone who checked with immigration reported that they did not need to register and that immigration said they could volunteer with no problems.
Are there some threads or news articles that discuss deportation? |
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