Korean Job Discussion Forums

[R. S. Refugee]

I start my semester break at my uni on Dec. 9th. There is another employer who wants to hire me for a 6-day mini-camp starting Dec. 11th. I have a current E-2 visa and my current empoyer (the uni) doesn't mind me doing this 5-day mini-camp.

What do I need to do to be legal?

Thanks in advance for any useful advice you can offer.

Cheers.

[Ya-ta Boy]

I think your best bet is to go the person at your uni that you talked to about this and ask him to call Immi and find out the legal details for you. That person already knows the whole story so will be able to speak to the Immi official most efffeciently.

[BigBlackEquus]

I have done this.

You need to go to immigration with a letter of approval from your school, about 35,000 won (maybe it's more, I forget. Definately no more than 70,000) a letter from the camp, and you will have to fill out a form. You'd better have your camp call ahead or just go there to see exactly what you need. Immigration can be really pissy about having the letters done correctly, dated, dates and times of camps stated, letter stamped with the dojang, etc. Just don't give them any extra reason not to approve you. I have done this twice for summer camps, actually. Bring your passport and E-2, which they will stamp with some information on the back.

If this is not a school-based camp, and is just some spontaneous for-profit thing, then immigration might not approve it. Otherwise, they will pretty painlessly, provided you have the documents.

If you are caught working illegally, which means to say without immigration approval for the camp, then you will be fined somewhere between 500,000 won and 3,000,000 won. Depending on their mood, they might also deport you, but probably not likely. These days, who knows?

[R. S. Refugee]