Korean Job Discussion Forums

[crazylemongirl]

Ok so I went to immigration to renew my e2. I'm staying with the same school and employer. I had with me

My current ARC card
My passport
A korean copy of my contract with red chop
An english copy of my contract with red chop
A copy of the schools' business liscence.

The case officer said that I needed a reference letter phoned my school then turned me away. I went with a friend of mine who has renewed her contract and she had the same documentation that I had. Also it was the same as that she had for the last 3 years. She went through no problems.

My friend has no idea what the guy is talking about. I can't find anything here on Daves. Anyone who has recently renewed their E2at the mokdong immigration have any idea?

My visa expires feburary 28 so I'm a bit of a panic right now.

[Real Reality]

You may need a letter of employment certification or an agreement letter from original working place.

passport
form(s)
employment contract
alien registration card
http://www.moj.go.kr/english/function/function06_08.php

[kangnamdragon]

You need a form stamped by your school. Anyone could forge a contract. I don't see how your friend renewed her E-2 without it.

[crazylemongirl]

[Real Reality]

Your school should have what immigration wants. It is a letter or form
("guarantee form from your Employer")
http://www.efl-law.com/kor_immi.html#6

[prairieboy]

It's the same letter your boss gives you to get your card in the first place. A letter saying you are employed by that school. It's not a big deal to get it from your employer, just have them print up a new one and stamp it.

Cheers

[crazylemongirl]

[kangnamdragon]

It is a reference letter from your school. Just have your school call immigration and ask what it is.

[crazylemongirl]

I asked the immigration guy today what the hell it was and he just talked to my school office for 30 seconds then told me to go away.

I even asked if perhaps they could fax it in. No such luck. Grrrrrrrr.

It seems I'll have to go in on Monday and get my school to figure out what the damn piece of paper is that I need. They think I have the blue paper and go to japan. But I explained that because I'm staying with the same employer I don't need to go.

If they manage to work that out. I've got another two hour plus journey over to Mokdong to try and get this damn thing sorted out. Probably arriving just in time for lunch

I just find it bizzare that my friend got her's done at the same time, with the same paperwork she used the last three times. But she was at a different booth, with absoultly no probems. The application of immigration policy is this country is uneven to say the least.

[JongnoGuru]

Considering there are thousands of people with the same visa as yours, Korean Immigration ought to post a checklist of required documents on their website (assuming they have one). In Hangul for the employer's benefit and, if they're really bored, in English too, for the teacher's benefit. Or would that just be too obvious?

[Real Reality]

crazylemongirl,
Perhaps, the immigration official is trying to maintain Korea's reputation.

Foreigners Experience Difficulties in Living in Korea
Overall living conditions, including education, housing, medical care, transportation, immigration, and access to the Internet are pointed to as inconveniences. Not only inconveniences caused by different systems and customs in Korea, but also special discriminating practices, such as the practice of submitting two years of monthly rent in advance like a deposit, which is required of foreigners just because they are foreigners, are ubiquitous. An official in the International Cooperation Division of Seoul City admitted, "The same complaints regarding visas, transportation, education, and environment are raised every year without being solved, due to the lack of cooperation from government agencies involved and their passive attitudes."
by Jae-Dong Yu and Soo-Jung Shin
http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?biid=2004070522448

[zappadelta]

[teachmeenglish]

If you stay with the same school, 99% chance you do not need a visa run. The one time I did was after 3 years and my ARC and contract expired on the same day which ment it could not be renewed (or something stupid like that) AND, sometimes if you get a release letter you do not need to do a visa run, you can switch employers in country. But most schools dont know this and send you for a weekend in Osaka, so maybe we should not tell them. (note, both schools must cooperate on this, mine did so it was not a problem)

[ajuma]

I renewed mine last week. In addition to your ARC and your passport (oh, btw, be sure that it has at least a year left on it, or they MAY send you away to get a new passport first!), you need your contract, certificate of employment and something new in the past couple of years...a legal form that says that you're not a criminal. Maybe THAT'S what you're missing.

The best thing to do IS to have your boss call and ask exactly what you need...and maybe even go with you and have HIM do the arguing?

[Derrek]

Got mine renewed.

The school did it for me. Just handed over my passport, ARC, and Degree (they wanted that again). Got it all back the next day.

I wouldn't have given them this stuff, but I trust the guy who did it, and I didn't care to make the long haul to Omogkyo.

CMG, they need to do that for you! We have a guy in the business office who handles all of this stuff for us, although he is still learning. They finally took my advice and called to find out that we didn't need to leave the country to renew the E-2. I had told them that 5 times when they kept telling me they were going to give me 500,000 won for the flight to Japan. Then one day last week, after telling them this stuff for 2 months, my advisor walks up to me and says, "I'm sorry, I know we promised to give you 500,000 for a plane flight to renew your visa, but we aren't going to be able to do that now. I found out that we don't need to do that."

DUH!!!!