Korean Job Discussion Forums

[FastForward]

So I went to immigration in Incheon and submitted all the necessary paperwork. They advised that the turn around time is 3 -4 weeks. When questioned why it was not the standard 7 days, they advised it is no longer a stamp in your passport that you get, but a card with your picture on it. I never gave them my passport, just a photocopy. They advised the documents will be sent to where they print their money and then returned to immigration for pick up. I thought a visa is something that is placed on a page in your passport. Also isn't the card they are referring to the blue card you get for F4 holders instead of the green one for E2 holders. I'm hoping I'm just confused on the process.

[amoonbot]

If you go through the F-4 Visa process in your home country, you generally get a visa stamp first. Once you get to Korea, you have to apply for an F-4 Alien Registration Card (Blue Card--Although, I heard the color's changed.) The visa stamp on your passport doesn't really matter after you get the ARC. And the time it takes to receive your ARC can range from 1 week to 4 weeks, so that sounds about right. In Korea, the visa stamp on your passport doesn't really matter because immigration officials look at your ARC.