Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mindmetoo]

I'm on a combo visa run/visit home. After 2 years. 2 years ago getting your e2 visa was a 2 day process. Drop off your passport and pick it up the next day. Now it's 5 days. Tuesday they say it will be ready. Monday they expect me back at work. Ho ho. I emailed my boss and let her know the situation. The suck of it is, I might have to walk away from my plane ticket if I can't get it changed. My girlfriend booked me my ticket in Seoul. My Friday morning is Korea's Friday night and the travel agent is closed on Saturday and...

Ugg.

So yeah. 5 days now.

I begged the woman to have to ready for Friday morning. She made a note. But I doubt they'll get on it.

Oh yeah, you don't need the Blue Paper, just your confirmation number. But they want your original transcripts/original degree, even though you've already submitted those already for the visa approval.

[eamo]

They need 5 days when the Korean embassy in Osaka, until recently, could do it in 3 hours.

[ejmlab]

It's 5 days in Ho Chi Minh City too. Keep in mind Osaka does thousands of visas a year so they have a dedicated staff while HCM probably processes a fraction of that amount.

[tzechuk]

Why the change???

[Karabeara]

Do they want the transcripts to be sealed? Another set? Or just the old ones? Come to think of it, does immigration even return sealed transcripts these days?

[Metsuke]

The Korean Embassy in Toronto are a complete bunch of idiots. When I was getting my visa processed earlier this year I had a pretty tight time lines to follow. I called their office twice to ask them what I had to do, what I had to bring, how much money, how long it would take... all of that. Both times I got the same answer�� ��We can process your visa the same day. Please make sure you are at our offices first thing in the morning.��

I went down there on the day before the long weekend, got all the paper work to them, we were going through the usual formalities. The lady asks me, when are you flying out. I tell her the last day of the long weekend, which should be no problem cause I'm going to hang out in Toronto until later today when I come back to pick up my visa.

She then makes this funny face... and says that they need more time. Well at that point I tell her I called the office and was following their information, and that I needed this done. She said ok, we will have it done today. I paid my money to the woman, and took off to bum around Toronto for the day.

I'm in the ROM enjoying myself, and my cell goes off. Its my Mother calling saying that the Korean embassy just called her and said that they won��t process my visa. I'm pretty shocked as I just paid my money to get it done with the guarantee from the woman behind the desk. So I head back to the Embassy.

I get there, and now theres a different woman behind the desk. I ask whats the problem with my work visa. She says we need two days, and can��t finish it today. I explain the whole situation again, that I called them and was going on their information. As well as the fact that I already paid money to get this done today. I ask her where was the woman I talked to before... she says I don't know what your talking about. She then says its my fault for calling the embassy and not talking to somebody at the desk. I then asked her who exactly is picking up the phones at their office giving out the information to people who are calling. I mean there is one number for the embassy�� people call it and ask questions. I called twice�� two different people�� who was it that talked to me?

So now I'm stuck...and I appeal to this woman sense of goodness. I tell her, I have my plane tickets booked and I can't cancel them... I need this done. Her response to me is "How do I know your not telling me a lie". At that point I knew this situation was totally not going to go my way. She kept saying give me your plane ticket... prove it. I didn't have my plane ticket on my person at the time. So I said if I can get you proof will you process my visa? She said yes. Great�� I��m friends with my travel agent�� I��ll get this taken care of.

I call my travel agent. Get her to fax all the info over. An hour later it comes down the line. The woman gets it, we go over it together. She than says to me, well it will be ok, I'm sure you won't have to pay to much money for the cancellation. I��m trying to stay calm with this woman, and explain to her in a polite way that it not acceptable. Then she says, it will be ok... you should just fly over on the one way ticket, everything will be ok. I'd already been reading a lot about this on Daves and knew it was sticky to get to Korean on a one way ticket with no work visa. So I told her again no, I��m not doing that. I��m not flying internationally on her assumption that it will all be ok.

She then said she had to go talk to her manager.

She comes back...

��Sorry... we are not going to process your work visa today.��

I then told her what I thought of the situation. I asked her who was answering the phones at the embassy? Why did a desk staff at their embassy already say my visa would be processed and take my money, and where was this woman I dealt with earlier? Who was she to change the whole situation after my money had been taken by the embassy? Why did she call me a liar about my plane ticket, and then make me stick around the embassy and have my travel agent fax documents�� and after all that not come through on her word?

To put it plainly�� I was not happy at all. I told the woman to give me my money and documents back, and I left.

So after all that madness I ended up having to cancel my original plane ticket with a penalty of about $400. After the weekend was over I went back, and had to start the whole process over again.

I��m happy to say except for that little bump on the map, everything else here in Korea has gone quite well�� but that first introduction to the embassy was a horrible experience�� one I won��t soon forget.

[SPINOZA]

The London embassy are sh1te as well. Having said that, it totally doesn't help matters how Korean employers - Hagwon or public, it doesn't appear to make any difference - leave it til the last minute to send the visa confirmation letters. I was lucky and persuaded them to get it done by Friday (I flew on Saturday). That was a Tuesday. Originally they said "5 working days; it'll be ready on Monday". My ticket - which I had purchased (employers refunded) was 50% non-refundable.

[some waygug-in]

So then, I guess coming here on a tourist visa and then going off to Japan to do the visa is the way to go. Why don't they just change the law so that visas can be processed in Korea anyway? It's such ridiculous BS.

I'm sorry about your experience, but not surprised.

[Wangja]

[tzechuk]

I had my visa processed in London as well and I had absolutely no problem.

I went there, handed them all the documents my husband sent me (not husband then) and they didn't even ask any questions..

Wangja... I assume you came here on a E7 visa, and your friend too?

I came here on an E7 and had a letter of invitation from the Ministry of Science and Technology... may be that makes a difference?

[SPINOZA]

Re the London Embassy:

How long did the visa process take? When did you deal with the London K-Embassy?

[Wangja]

[Wangja]

[mindmetoo]

[TheUrbanMyth]