Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ahart]

If this question has already been answered recently, please refer me to the right page.

My contract at my hagwon will end on March 3, and I have already interviewed a a new place to work. They said to ask my boss for a one-month visa extension and then have her sign a letter of release releasing me to the new place of employment.

I asked my boss about this, and she said she doesn't know how this procedure works. Immigration (1345) seems to be busy when I call them, or their English is so poor that I can't understand what they are saying.

Does anyone know how to go about getting a one-month visa extension?

Thanks.

[OculisOrbis]

You want a letter of release from your current school that releases you on the last day of your contract (Mar 3) so that you will receive your airfare/severance payments.

The new employer takes the LOR, your new signed contracts and whatever other documents immi will require from you. The new employer provides a sponsorship letter and a copy of their business license to immigration with the application to transfer and extend. Immi will approve the transfer to a new employer and then extend your visa for another year - preferably to the end date of your new contract - and write the changes on the back of your ARC.

The transfer must be done at immi before your current visa expires (before you finish work at your original job), but then you have a two week grace period from the end of your first job before you have to start the second job. Ideally, your LOR (end date Mar 3) and the start date (Mar 4) in your new job's contract will be consecutive (no gaps). You should have your documents ready and go to immigration to make the transfer and extension sometime in the last two weeks of February, but I think you can transfer up to 30 days before the date on your LOR.

It's 60 000 won for the transfer and 30 000 won for the extension of your visa.

Example of an LOR is here:
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=6227