Korean Job Discussion Forums

[untouchable_88]

Hi

I applied for my pension refund in early november. Six days later I switched my E2 visa to a D10. I left the country the very next day. Will my pension payment still be refunded to me? (I am out of korea land and own a d10 now)

[YTMND]

You're fine, but I hope you gave them bank account info to send the money to.

[untouchable_88]

Thanks for the confident reassuring reply!
Cheers

[JCT]

I tried the exact same thing and they denied releasing my funds. I think it depends on the person handling it at the time. Good luck

[untouchable_88]

jct
so u applied for a refund then at a later date your d10?[/quote]

[Skippy]

This has been one of the weird situations with pension and D-10/visas. People on F-series have got refunds in the past and kept their visa. So the visa does not need to be canceled to get the refund. So I think and am guessing for pension the visa does not have to be canceled. The key point is the foreigner has to be OUT of country to get the pension. Since you applied for and have left the country you might get it. If you do come back to Korea before the refund has been processed you could get denied or have things mucked up..

[Smithington]

Can anyone provide updated information on this? Can we get a D-10, go on vacation for a few weeks, then return and get our pension? Has anyone successfully done this?

Do we apply for the D-10 first or the pension payout first?


Cheers

[Troglodyte]

I would be interested in hearing the outcome as well. As I understood it, you can get the pension refund when you don't intend to return to Korea (in other words, you aren't going to retire here). Obviously, there's nothing that stops you from returning and you don't have to give up an F visa (or other, I suppose) in order to prove that you will never return to work here. If the pension office doesn't know that you are on a D10 visa then they might pay up. Still, if they know that you have a job hunting visa, they might not buy your story that you don't intend to return to work in Korea.

Still, it's possible that they don't check into it, or even that some people at the pension office don't care enough to pursue the matter. If so, there are probably a lot of people who would like to hear how your story progressed.

[morningcalm12]

I'm looking to try the same process. Any updates, untouchable_88?

[Smithington]

I dropped by the pension office last week to check my balance. I told the gal that I would be 'leaving' Korea in a few months. She said to apply a few weeks before departure. I will need to bring my passport, bank book, alien card, completed application form, and airline E-ticket showing planned departure from Korea. To me the D-10 switcheroo, plus access to lumpsum refund, seems doable. Potentially one could apply for it, and show them the airline ticket showing departure date from Korea. Near the end of your contract change the departure date on our ticket (to a later date), apply for the D-10, and go on vacation for a couple weeks after we have the D-10 in hand. On our return we might be pleased to find the pension deposited into our account. Once that's done, get a new job and transfer your D-10 back to an E-2.

That's what I would try. It's not fail proof, but it's probably has the best chances of success. And if we can travel while waiting for our D-10 (I've heard conflicting stories about this) we don't even have to change our departure date.

(OP, could you give us an update on your experience? Cheers.)

[Smithington]

Have we finally found the one subject on which Ttompatz cannot be of any help? Is the D-10 pension question his kryptonite? Is this the question that takes him down? He has been a font of knowledge and good advice in the past, and we've all appreciated that. But now he's face to face with the D-10 pension situation. It's ready to rumble...but he as of yet has failed to make an appearance. The D-10 is mocking him on Leno, Letterman, youtube and twitter. "Where U at?" it asked of Thompatz on Twitter yesterday. "Y U no meet rumble? Fraid I'll D-10 yo ass?"

Others have joined the mockery. Toronto mayor, Rob Ford, was quoted yesterday as saying the following. "Yat Tompath thude duthn't wanna fyite with yat T-10 fella bekyus yose Athiens are takgin ober thyis shiddy. But I'll fyite da fyellal. I yike fyite when I dwunkin stuupar. Wher ith dith guy. I'll kyo syko on dis hed."

The owner of the Flushing, New York, McDonalds also had an opinion. "If Thompatz can't, or won't deal with the D-10 question, he's clearly got plenty of time on his hands. Could he please get his lazy ass over here and help me toss these friggin freeloaders out of my restaurant."

Dennis Rodman also chipped in from his rehab center. "Don't ask me about Thompatz. Do you know what he did?....Do you know what he did in this country? Until you know what he did, don't ask me about that man....That man failed to contribute to the debate on the D-10 pension question....Now watch this shot."

Clearly there are some strong opinions out there on this topic. When we have any further information about Thompatz's whereabouts we will let you know.

[Enrico Palazzo]

[CPT]

Would like an update to this question if anyone has one.

FWIW, a guy I worked with tried to do the D-10 switch, apply for pension, switch flight dates, leave with pension in hand thing and it didn't work. They check to see if you left the country.

Any ideas on how it would (or wouldn't) work with the lump sum return at the airport?

[Skippy]