Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sing81]

I have a contract for 12 months with a 3 month extension. The 12 months are finished in November. I was told that I have to go back to immigration at that time and get a 3 month renewal. Is this correct?

On the immigration website it says long stays are for any period more than 90 days and there is no need for renewal during the same contract.

[Andyc24_uk]

Yes, that's right. An E2 visa is valid for 12 months. The 90 day thing on the website refers to the automatic 3-month visa-free period that most tourists are given on entering the country. If you're here on a tourist visa, you have to leave the country after 90 days. If you're on an E2, you can stay for a year and you don't have to leave or contact Immigration or anything every 90 days.

The latest rules also essentially give you an automatic 30 days on a tourist visa (during which you're NOT legally entitled to work) starting from the day your E2 expires. You used to have to contact Immigration and ask for this, now it's given automatically.

I believe you still fall under the old system, which was changed at the start of this year. Therefore, you can extend your E2 visa for up to a year with the same employer, as long as no details are changing, by simply taking certain documents into the Immigration office within 2 months before the current visa expiration date. (so, in your case, sometime between mid-September and whatever day in November your visa expires).

However, you can only do this once - after that, you'll need to re-submit all the paperwork. Anyone who received their E2 visa after January 1st should have all the relevant paperwork on file with Kimmi now, and so should - in theory - be able to renew/change/leave and come back within three months on a new visa, without having to jump through all the hoops again.

I extended my visa for a few more months earlier this week. It was easy - All you need are the following documents :

--> Passport
--> ARC Card
--> School's business registration documents (copy)
--> School's certificate of registration with the Ministry of Education (copy)
--> Contract
--> 'Sponsor' form - signed by your director, confirming that they're responsible for you. (this is available online)
--> Application form (available at the immigration office or online)
--> W30,000

You'll also probably be asked to sign a form which essentially is just a promise that next time you apply, you agree to re-submit all the apostilled documents. It's a very simple process - Takes about 5 minutes.

Good luck!

[sing81]

Thanks for answering my question. I have another one.

Is it legal to have an extension built into my contract? In other words if my ARC says Nov 2011, how can my contract say Feb 2012? To me it makes no sense.

[OculisOrbis]

Yes, it's legal.

But you dont have to stay for the extra three months if you dont want to - you can always quit after completing the first 12 months. Your employer will still have to pay your severance because the law says that it is yours after a minimum of one year. They will prob get of paying your airfare though, since that it is contractual issue and your contract likely states that you must complete the contract to receive it.

If you do stay for 15 months, make sure your severance is paid on 15 months and not 12. One year's severance is approx one months pay, but fifteen months severance is approx 1.25 months pay. If they pay your severance after 12 months and you stay for another three, you are not entitled to anymore severance. The severance clock resets to zero months after every payout.

[sing81]

So if I decide to quit my current job and go home now but do not get a letter of release, then I can return after the date on my ARC?

If I continue to work for them, then I can get another job after the date on my ARC expires?

[OculisOrbis]

Call korean immigration and ask them.

Dial 1345.

[sing81]

The number doesn't work. I dialed 031-1345.

[OculisOrbis]

dont dial 031

[sing81]

I would just pm you but I can't.

I dialed 1345 directly and it still doesn't work. Some lady speak in Korean and the call cuts off. Can you call the number to check it? I think my phone doesn't work. I can't use the phone at work.

[sing81]

My phone kept cutting off. But I finally got it to work. Of course now it's their lunch time. Thanks for the help.