Korean Job Discussion Forums

[shostahoosier]

Has anyone gone the route of using a sponsorship letter rather than showing their bank deposit?

Is it a big pain? And can it be done by any Korean adult?

[World Traveler]

The adult has to have a job. They vouch for you. (Maybe they are taking on risk; they could be on the hook for expenses for you if something goes wrong, which is why some wouldn't want to sponsor you unless you are a close friend and can trust you.)

*Source: I've done it myself because I didn't have the requisite 3,000,000 left in my bank account after paying the 1,600,000 tuition. (That was on a D4. For D2s, one needs 10,000,000 won left over after paying tuition.) It was a pain. (It needs official stamps and work certificates and forms and all that. It's better to go into the situation with savings if you can.)

[coralreefer_1]

Ive done it several times.

Its not a real pain. All universities are different, but alongside the letter there needs to be official bank statements showing the needed amount. Some universities stipulate that the bank documents show the amount has been deposited for at least 1 month to three months.

Other universities may require the sponsor (if not a professor of the university) to be a relative.

One thing to note: Be sure to submit original and OFFICIAL documents of bank statements. I was rejected from grad school at Korea university a few years ago because the bank statement my father sent me, though original and not a photocopy..was not an official monthly statement with a bank seal and such, but was more or less a simply piece of A4 paper he was given when he asked the teller to give him a document showing his balance.

Otherwise, the only other route is to have a Korean professor at that school be the sponsor, and even they woulds have to show a letter of employment/contract from the university as well as some tax documents...something that would be more trouble to them than it would be to sponsor yourself/have someone else sponsor you.

[World Traveler]

[shostahoosier]

Thanks for the advice. I'm already part-way through the program and I thought that I would just need to show the bank statement for the initial visa, not every year.

Saving is tough because I attend school full time but it sounds like I'll need to find the cash rather than ask a Korean friend.

[coralreefer_1]

[coralreefer_1]

Also..PM sent

[shostahoosier]

[shostahoosier]

[coralreefer_1]

Its always been my understanding that the money/proof was needed by immigration, which in their mind is kind of an assurance (not really, but still) that anyone with that amount of money themselves or with parents with that money will not likely be the kind of people to enter the country on the student visa, them promptly disappear into the factories and such never to attend school at all.

Websites (mainly the english versions of school websites) are notorious for misinformation and outdated info. The best thing I could suggest would be to visit the school directly and in person if possible, ask the amount they require for admission, making sure to note whether or not their amount is based on their own policy, or that of immigration. Then follow up with a call (or visit) to immigration.

At least in my city, there is one particular person that seems to specialize in dealing with student issues. Each semester a person from the university will come in with 200 or more visa extension applications, and they will go through them all at the same time (rather than having each student come down personally) There is a good chance other immi offices int he country have a similar person who is for lack of a better term, more "well versed" in dealing with student related visa issues and is most knowledgeable about the requirements and any changes recently made.


When I went to renew my visa last fall, I was told by immigration I needed 3,000USD...but then the graduate office told me later is was 6,000USD, then a second call to immigration informed me that there was no specific amount needed exactly, but needed to show some sort of documents proving income (registered job salary statement, transfers from parents..etc) This was needed to prove that (a) one had sufficent income for living expenses, and (b) was a new thing they were doing to catch students working illegal part/full time jobs. Not so sure on b, but thats how it came across at the time another student in my social integration program class put it when he ran into problems.

[aq8knyus]

It seems to me that the money/proof thing is needed by immigration and my university has never asked for any proof of finances.

I read that up to August 2013 you only needed 3000 USD, but now you need 13,000 USD to renew a D2. I checked with immigration using the 1345 number three times and they confirmed that this was indeed the case. Though that figure includes tuition fees, so the amount after fees is 8000 USD.

They also said that they dont take income from any part time work into account, which seems really stupid.

However, it seems like everyone's situation is different. My chinese classmate got a D2 for the whole two year period of her masters.

[shostahoosier]

Thanks both of you!

I too called 1345 and was told $13,000 USD (but could subtract the tuition I pay from that amount).

Then I had the school call (not our clueless international office, but a competent employee in our office) and she was told I didn't need a particular amount because 1.) My GPA was above a "C" ( how can anyone get that low here?!) and 2.) I guess because my school is specially accredited.

I still feel uncomfortable so I'm gong to try to figure out a way to make sure I don't get an immigration officer that reverts back to "oh....you need $13,000....or on second thought....you'll need more..I'm having a bad day."

[duhweecher]

You would have to take the person to an official notary office (located all over Korea). They need to have their name stamp and dip it in the red pasty ink (pretty much like Confucian blood) and sign their life to you. The feeling of doing this would be a major burden on any Korean person and unless said person is your father or mother or a future wife/ husband (or just crazy), I doubt anyone would be willing to do such a thing for you.

[coralreefer_1]

Just to be clear (its been mentioned twice already)...

A sponsor has no legal obligation whatsoever to pay tuition for you, or even if you dont have the money. As mentioned, that is more or less an immigration stipulation to prevent things I mentioned earlier. Failure to pay tuition in no way, shape, or form would result in either your sponsor being forced to pay, or otherwise having tuition deducted from their account. If you didnt/couldnt pay, the university would simply withdraw you from the school and notify immigration which would result in the loss of the student visa (if you have a student visa)

Also, typically documents that originate in Korea do not need some type of official notary. The "stamp" itself is more or less the notary as the stamp is registered in the name of the owner at their local office closest to their home. Every document I have ever used in Korea never needed anything other than the official seal of the issuer (bank seal, university seal...etc) or the stamp of whatever person was on it, and nearly all Koreans have their own stamp..so there is really no need to go to some third party notary for such a thing

[World Traveler]