Korean Job Discussion Forums

pangaea · Joined: 20 Dec 2007

I am planning to get married on the 24th and my contract expires on the 30th. My fiance and I want to spend some time together in Seoul before I have to leave. I am from the US and he is from Cameroon, so we will be separated for quite a while before the spouse visa can be processed for him to join me. I tried to explain to my boss that I need my plane ticket for the week following the end of my contract and that I will take care of the visa extension, but he said that I can't extend. He is still planning to buy my ticket for the 1st. I am obviously not going to be ready to leave my husband on Friday after working Monday through Thursday. I am trying to get help in explaining the situation, but if this still is a problem, can I just agree to the ticket on the 1st, then change the date since the ticket is in my name anyway? Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I honestly don't know if it will be possible. Has anyone tried to change the date of a plane ticket after it was purchased by the school?

Ramen · Joined: 15 Apr 2008

Cedar · Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2011 3:44 pm Post subject:

you can change the date, but you should hope that they fly you on Korean Air which doesn't charge for date changes. Also this time of year there are a lot of full flights, so you might not have tons of flexibility on the new date. The best, though, would be for you to explain to your boss. He may also be concerned that you won't leave your apartment on the 30th/1st if you fly a week later. Perhaps you should assure him on that point, too.

p.s. I've always known that a fiancee visa was shorter wait than newylweds. If you're going to be married and one person moving to the US, you should have been married in excess of 2 years to speed things up/smooth the process. That said, our paperwork and the interviews etc. took over a year.

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

pangaea · Joined: 20 Dec 2007

Thanks for the links! I am going to take in a copy of some of the pages to my boss today and show him to try to convince him that I can extend my stay here. I'm afraid it's not going to go well. He seems convinced that it's impossible that I can stay a few extra days and since he is booking the ticket, it could be a problem. I will emphasize today that I am leaving the apartment on the 30th and will no longer have anything to do with the school. Maybe that will help.

I am pregnant but still in my first trimester. I think it's normally only an issue for airlines if the woman is in her third trimester. I'm not showing so no one will know unless I tell them. I probably will, though, because I will need an aisle seat and someone to help lift my bags. I might ask my doctor for a note, but since she wouldn't give me treatment for a very simple and common ailment among pregnant women that is normally treated in the US, I get the feeling she might not be happy about me flying.

As far as the visa for my fiance, we thought the spouse visa would be faster, but I keep hearing that the fiance visa is actually faster. I think we are willing to do whatever will reduce our waiting time, so I will do more checking on that.