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hellofaniceguy
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Location: On your computer screen!
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 Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 10:53 am Post subject: Another "Criminal Records Check" helpful hint.... |
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Many have asked..."I have a DUI/DWI that was dismissed..can I still get a visa?" Or I was charged with smoking weed or possession..can I still get a visa?"
**You must have a 100% clean national level criminal record**
This check can take a long time to complete (depends on your police department- some take 5 minutes, some take 12 weeks!), so please order one as soon as you can. Korean immigration will only accept a record check that is less than 6 months and at the national level, so best get it done as soon as possible. People have lost their jobs because their record checks took longer than expected. Please follow the steps below to ensure that it is done properly and will be accepted by the immigration office in Korea. If these directions are not followed it could lead to delays in your visa and start date or loss of a great job! Ensure your name and birth date are correct on the check as well!
Korean immigration is very strict about this, exceptions are not made. If you have any charge including drunk driving, dismissed charges and any misdemeanor on your record (no matter how long ago), you will not be able to obtain a visa to teach in Korea for any school.
http://www.footprintsrecruiting.com/visa-information-to-teach-in-korea/949-korean-public-school-applicationvisa-documents |
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jamal0000
Joined: 11 Dec 2010
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 1:33 pm Post subject: Re: Another "Criminal Records Check" helpful hint. |
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| hellofaniceguy wrote: |
Many have asked..."I have a DUI/DWI that was dismissed..can I still get a visa?" Or I was charged with smoking weed or possession..can I still get a visa?"
**You must have a 100% clean national level criminal record**
This check can take a long time to complete (depends on your police department- some take 5 minutes, some take 12 weeks!), so please order one as soon as you can. Korean immigration will only accept a record check that is less than 6 months and at the national level, so best get it done as soon as possible. People have lost their jobs because their record checks took longer than expected. Please follow the steps below to ensure that it is done properly and will be accepted by the immigration office in Korea. If these directions are not followed it could lead to delays in your visa and start date or loss of a great job! Ensure your name and birth date are correct on the check as well!
Korean immigration is very strict about this, exceptions are not made. If you have any charge including drunk driving, dismissed charges and any misdemeanor on your record (no matter how long ago), you will not be able to obtain a visa to teach in Korea for any school.
http://www.footprintsrecruiting.com/visa-information-to-teach-in-korea/949-korean-public-school-applicationvisa-documents |
Ok, this is just outright false. Here is the wording from Korea's immigration website (hikorea.go.kr):
※ Exceptions are made if the nature of the crime is light and does not affect their ability as a teacher
http://www.hikorea.go.kr/pt/InfoDetailR_en.pt?categoryId=2&parentId=382&catSeq=385&showMenuId=374&visaId=E2
I realize that there is a lot of misinformation out there and the lack of clear guidelines on the issue are frustrating though. Korea should adopt the USA federal guidelines on what prohibits someone from becoming a teacher (only convictions count):
No violent crimes
No crimes against a minor
No drug crimes in the past five years
But anyways, don't freak out about a DWI or really anything that isn't in the other category. Korea immigration needs to learn about the american criminal system. |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 2:48 pm Post subject: |
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| They say they make exceptions, but by all accounts they really don't. |
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bobbybigfoot
Joined: 05 May 2007
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 2:55 pm Post subject: |
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My guess would be this:
A shortage of teachers: exceptions will be made.
A glut of teachers: 100% clean record. |
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hellofaniceguy
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Location: On your computer screen!
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 3:40 pm Post subject: Re: Another "Criminal Records Check" helpful hint. |
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| jamal0000 wrote: |
| hellofaniceguy wrote: |
Many have asked..."I have a DUI/DWI that was dismissed..can I still get a visa?" Or I was charged with smoking weed or possession..can I still get a visa?"
**You must have a 100% clean national level criminal record**
This check can take a long time to complete (depends on your police department- some take 5 minutes, some take 12 weeks!), so please order one as soon as you can. Korean immigration will only accept a record check that is less than 6 months and at the national level, so best get it done as soon as possible. People have lost their jobs because their record checks took longer than expected. Please follow the steps below to ensure that it is done properly and will be accepted by the immigration office in Korea. If these directions are not followed it could lead to delays in your visa and start date or loss of a great job! Ensure your name and birth date are correct on the check as well!
Korean immigration is very strict about this, exceptions are not made. If you have any charge including drunk driving, dismissed charges and any misdemeanor on your record (no matter how long ago), you will not be able to obtain a visa to teach in Korea for any school.
http://www.footprintsrecruiting.com/visa-information-to-teach-in-korea/949-korean-public-school-applicationvisa-documents |
Ok, this is just outright false. Here is the wording from Korea's immigration website (hikorea.go.kr):
※ Exceptions are made if the nature of the crime is light and does not affect their ability as a teacher
http://www.hikorea.go.kr/pt/InfoDetailR_en.pt?categoryId=2&parentId=382&catSeq=385&showMenuId=374&visaId=E2
I realize that there is a lot of misinformation out there and the lack of clear guidelines on the issue are frustrating though. Korea should adopt the USA federal guidelines on what prohibits someone from becoming a teacher (only convictions count):
No violent crimes
No crimes against a minor
No drug crimes in the past five years
But anyways, don't freak out about a DWI or really anything that isn't in the other category. Korea immigration needs to learn about the american criminal system. |
Reading some of the posts' on this site from various members.....some have had minor possession of weed charges from the 80's and 90's and korean immigration and or the korean embassy powers to be said no.
One never knows what will happen....one immigration person may say yes three times and the forth person gets turned turned down even thought all 4 had the same conviction. |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 4:25 pm Post subject: |
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If I were a Korean immigration officer, I'd be just as scared of a DUI as a marijuana offense. Given that pot is a drug on the fringe in Korea, difficult to acquire, expensive, and with huge legal repercussions, the chances of that individual being a repeat offender. On the flip side, look at the alcohol culture here, and you can easily see where a guy who had a DUI in the past might well be looking at another one.
My point isn't that Korea should let people with marijuana convictions in, it's that adopting the federal guidelines for teachers doesn't really make sense when the goal is to keep potentially trouble-making individuals out of the country. These aren't restrictions on teachers, they're restrictions on guest workers. |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 5:28 pm Post subject: |
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| northway wrote: |
| These aren't restrictions on teachers, they're restrictions on guest workers. |
How so? Only E-2 visa holders are subjected to these restrictions. (Or those F-series holders who work at a public school). |
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War Eagle
Joined: 15 Feb 2009
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 5:55 pm Post subject: |
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| northway wrote: |
If I were a Korean immigration officer, I'd be just as scared of a DUI as a marijuana offense. Given that pot is a drug on the fringe in Korea, difficult to acquire, expensive, and with huge legal repercussions, the chances of that individual being a repeat offender. On the flip side, look at the alcohol culture here, and you can easily see where a guy who had a DUI in the past might well be looking at another one.
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Ummm. People on an E-2 don't drive. Well there's the occasional scooter but......
I would say more than 95% of applicants haven't had DWIs and more than 99% of E-2s don't drive. Obviously, I made up these statistics but you can see how it is next to impossible for an E-2 to get a DWI in Korea.
And if he did run someone over driving a scooter, well damn man, that's just normal everyday life in Seoul anyway |
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diver
Joined: 16 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 6:40 pm Post subject: |
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| War Eagle wrote: |
Ummm. People on an E-2 don't drive. Well there's the occasional scooter but......
I would say more than 95% of applicants haven't had DWIs and more than 99% of E-2s don't drive. Obviously, I made up these statistics but you can see how it is next to impossible for an E-2 to get a DWI in Korea. |
Aw man...I didn't know we could just make stats up! To think of all the time I've wasted over the years looking them up 
I know a lot of E2 people who drive. You also don't need a license to drive... |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 7:31 pm Post subject: |
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| TheUrbanMyth wrote: |
| northway wrote: |
| These aren't restrictions on teachers, they're restrictions on guest workers. |
How so? Only E-2 visa holders are subjected to these restrictions. (Or those F-series holders who work at a public school). |
My understanding is that all those temporary factory workers need to have clean background checks as well. |
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Kikomom
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: them thar hills--Penna, USA--Zippy is my kid, the teacher in ROK. You can call me Kiko
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 8:25 pm Post subject: |
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I actually had an opportunity to speak with an embassy worker in NYC last week. She called me regarding a different matter, and while chit-chatting about I mentioned that Zippy would be needing a visa extension this spring and that he was already working on getting an FBI background check. And that I understand that it takes quite a bit longer than the state ones (that I could get online in ten minutes).
The purpose of the new national requirement is to close the loophole of checks for people that may have lived in more than one state/locale. AND to get offenders from as far back as high school. |
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Morticae
Joined: 06 May 2010
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 10:00 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm not sure what "loop hole" that is. When I applied for EPIK, they made me do a background check for every state I lived in. I only had to get an apostille for the current state I lived in though, but still. |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 10:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Morticae wrote: |
| I'm not sure what "loop hole" that is. When I applied for EPIK, they made me do a background check for every state I lived in. I only had to get an apostille for the current state I lived in though, but still. |
That's an EPIK thing. It used to be that you could get a background check from any state, and they had no way of verifying if you'd lived there. |
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NSMatt
Joined: 29 Dec 2008
Location: London
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| Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 6:23 am Post subject: Re: Another "Criminal Records Check" helpful hint. |
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This is nonsense, at least for Canadians. The word 'misdemeanour' is an American term applying to minor crimes. The Canadian equivalent is a summary offence. While they might show up on criminal background checks "dismissed charges" absolutely do not. |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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| northway wrote: |
| TheUrbanMyth wrote: |
| northway wrote: |
| These aren't restrictions on teachers, they're restrictions on guest workers. |
How so? Only E-2 visa holders are subjected to these restrictions. (Or those F-series holders who work at a public school). |
My understanding is that all those temporary factory workers need to have clean background checks as well. |
First time I've heard that. And other workers like those on entertainer visas don't...the HIV test was removed for them. |
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