Korean Job Discussion Forums

[naturegirl321]

this is copied from this link
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=196611

Might be a better option for some.


Foreigner that has domestic residence over 7 years of continuous stay in ROK with the status other than Diplomacy (A-1), Official Business (A-2), or Agreements (A-3) and who is accepted by the Minister of Justice

- However in case of Professor (E-1), Foreign Language Instructor (E-2), Research (E-3), Technological Guidance (E-4), Special Profession (E-5), Specially Designated Activities (E-7), Who has domestic residence over 5 years of continuous stay in ROK with the status and who is accepted by the Minister of Justice.

You will need the following.

1) 5 years on one of the above E Visas
2) A Korean (Preferably of higher standing i.e. Doctor, Dentist, Manager etc etc) to sponsor you. An F2 Visa, is after all, a sponsorship Visa. It's usually the Korean spouse that sponsors you.
3) Have a letter written up in English titled "What I have done for Korea in the past and what I intend to do for Korea in the future." This should also be translated into Korean.
4) Any additional qualifications that you may have. TESOL course or Korean Proficiency (한국어능력시험)
5) Take a Korean (someone you trust) with you down to Immigration and make the application.
6) Immigration cannot, by themselves, issue the Visa. The application has to be sent to the Ministry of Justice. They will make a decision.

[Zyzyfer]

Pretty sure that's even harder to get than the points system visa...though I've never heard of the sponsor component.

The 5 years must be continuous and, until recently -at least for E-2s, that meant with the same employer as well.

The Ministry of Justice bit and the letter of contribution to Korean society are basically outs to avoid approving someone on no other basis at all.

[nick70100]

[naturegirl321]

[Zyzyfer]

Not really disagreeing with it being another viable alternative. I just don't think it's realistic for many people. I've been here since late 2001 but have not been employed for a solid five years. I don't know many who have, actually. ttompattz has also commented in the past on this visa I believe and said it was impossible to obtain. A coworker at my last job was in the middle of trying to appeal some aspect of such a visa as he was also unable to obtain it.

If I worked for 5 consecutive years here with the intent of obtaining this visa and still had to leave it up to the discretion of some ministry official and got rejected, it would zing quite badly.

And personally, I think there should be a language requirement for any residency visa, particularly one based heavily on tenure. Anyway, this might be a viable alternative for a handful of people who happen to already meet the qualifications but the points visa is better for someone actively seeking it.

[nathanrutledge]

I know a guy who has gotten this visa, and he himself said he's the only person he's ever met who had it. He had an employer that was really helpful and he worked there for 10 years straight. Part of the requirement is also that you cannot leave Korea for a certain period of time, something like 2 weeks out of the year. It's not impossible, but i wouldn't call it a "viable alternative."

[ontheway]