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iPeed
Joined: 25 Jan 2006
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 Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2006 12:53 pm Post subject: F-4 VISA Complications (Family Registry) |
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So I'm trying to get my F-4 VISA, but my situation seems to be sabatoged to make this difficult. My mom was born in Korea, and her name put on her family's family registry. When she got married, her name was crossed out on her family registry (literally) and added to her Korean husband's family registry. The Korean consulate in Los Angeles would not accept her family registry w/ her crossed out name for my F-4 (legally she's no longer a member of that family ( ) ).
So get her husband's family registry right? They divorced ages ago, and I'm assuming she would have been crossed out there too.
All this is supposedly to satisfy the F-4 VISA requirement of proof of Korean citizenship. I don't understand why, even though her name is crossed out, it doesn't serve as proof of her original Korean citizenship since it is still plainly seen.
If she's crossed out on both family registries is she legally not a member of any family? Either way, how can we prove to the Korean Consulate in Los Angeles that she was a Korean citizen if she is not on a family registry?
Thanks for reading this and in advance for any advice!
Chris |
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iPeed
Joined: 25 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 2:45 pm Post subject: |
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| I hear crickets. Is this the wrong forum? |
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ohfamous
Joined: 10 Jul 2004
Location: Off the beaten path
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| Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 6:10 pm Post subject: |
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You might have everyone stumped. 
It doesn't make sense that your mom's name is crossed out on her family registry - never heard of that. But even if it is, the name is still there, right? Doesn't that prove that she exists and was born of Korean heritage? The Los Angeles consulate must be uber anal or something.
The only suggestion I can think of is to try another consulate. I'm not even sure if you can do that though. I've heard some horror stories about the LA one. SF was no picnic either, but they eventually gave me mine after providing lots of documents, including both parents' family registries, passport copies, green card copies, and signed forms showing that they gave up their korean citizenship.
I'm sure there's a way that you can get one. It might be painful though. Good luck! |
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thekingofdisco
Joined: 29 Oct 2004
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| Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 6:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| it doesn't make sense that your mom's name is crossed out on her family registry - never heard of that |
That's the standard, so nothing unusual there. when u marry you go into the new husband's register.
You don't have photocopies of her original korean passport by any chance?
Or the papers which show that she is now not a Korean citizen?
These would help you a lot. |
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J.B. Clamence
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 7:48 pm Post subject: Re: F-4 VISA Complications (Family Registry) |
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| iPeed wrote: |
| So get her husband's family registry right? They divorced ages ago, and I'm assuming she would have been crossed out there too. |
I hate to state the obvious here, but this is clearly your best chance. Have you really not bothered to check? |
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chiaa
Joined: 23 Aug 2003
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| Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 8:17 pm Post subject: Re: F-4 VISA Complications (Family Registry) |
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| J.B. Clamence wrote: |
| iPeed wrote: |
| So get her husband's family registry right? They divorced ages ago, and I'm assuming she would have been crossed out there too. |
I hate to state the obvious here, but this is clearly your best chance. Have you really not bothered to check? |
She is crossed out there. But, here is the deal-eo. If she was divorced in Korea then when they took her off her husband's registry they put her on her own registry. A person does not simply disappear.
Did your parents get married in Korea, immgirate to the US, then divorce in the US? If yes, then they would have crossed her off your father's family registry and then did not make her own because she was no longer a US citizen.
But, if this is the case and you were born already you will be on your father's registry (I am assuming that your head of family upon learning of your mother and father's divorce removed your mother and if they did this, probably put you on there as well either at that time of when you were born or when they removed your mother) so you can use him as proof of the blood line. Now if your father is dead there is another person who is "in charge" of the registry as head of the family. If he is alive and you don't talk to him (seems that way) you better hope that someone else is head of the family and contact them about getting a copy.
Damn, I am not even Korean. |
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J.B. Clamence
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 12:25 am Post subject: Re: F-4 VISA Complications (Family Registry) |
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| chiaa wrote: |
| She is crossed out there. |
How do you know? The OP said he assumes she was crossed out, but it doesn't sound like he even checked. |
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chiaa
Joined: 23 Aug 2003
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| Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 12:51 am Post subject: Re: F-4 VISA Complications (Family Registry) |
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| J.B. Clamence wrote: |
| chiaa wrote: |
| She is crossed out there. |
How do you know? The OP said he assumes she was crossed out, but it doesn't sound like he even checked. |
If they got divorced and Korea knows about the divorce, then she is not on there. That's what happens if you get divorced in Korea. Now if you are nit picking at my sentence order, then I am not sure that she is crossed out as I do not know if they notified Korea if they got divorced. Only they know that. |
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J.B. Clamence
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 12:59 am Post subject: |
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No, I'm not nitpicking. I'm just saying that the OP is assuming too much, and so are we for lack of information. If he has no other avenues to check, then the obvious next step is to check dad's registry (why not?). Your "if Korea knows about the divorce" is another assumption. Maybe his parents didn't bother to do the divorce in Korea. If the OP does not have Korean citizenship, he very well may have been born in the US. If that's the case, his parents probably got divorced there too.
Anyway, OP, stop assuming and stick to what you can do most easily for now. Check your dad's registry. If your parents were divorced in the US, there is a chance his registry was not altered as a result of the divorce. However small a chance it might be, it's still worth a look. |
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iPeed
Joined: 25 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2006 1:33 am Post subject: |
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I haven't checked her korean ex-husband's registry primarily because it would upset my mother (more), and it wasn't worth upsetting my mother if there was only a slim chance she was not crossed out.
So I just talked to my mother and this is what happened (new details for me too btw): she married in Korea, they moved to the US, they divorced here in the US. Her best guess is that he still lives in the US. That gives me hope that even if he has remarried here, his family registry back in Pusan is out of date and my mother's name is still on it.
How does one go about getting a family registry? For her's we had her sister in Korea get it, and it took all day while they dug it up. For this one, it's somewhere in Pusan, and it's a two hour drive from anyone we know over there. Does it have to be done in person or can we call them?
I still don't understand why even her crossed out name isn't enough to merely show her citizenship for the VISA qualifications, aaah! nightmare!
What do you pros think given these details? |
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chiaa
Joined: 23 Aug 2003
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| Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2006 6:40 am Post subject: |
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| iPeed wrote: |
I haven't checked her korean ex-husband's registry primarily because it would upset my mother (more), and it wasn't worth upsetting my mother if there was only a slim chance she was not crossed out.
So I just talked to my mother and this is what happened (new details for me too btw): she married in Korea, they moved to the US, they divorced here in the US. Her best guess is that he still lives in the US. That gives me hope that even if he has remarried here, his family registry back in Pusan is out of date and my mother's name is still on it.
How does one go about getting a family registry? For her's we had her sister in Korea get it, and it took all day while they dug it up. For this one, it's somewhere in Pusan, and it's a two hour drive from anyone we know over there. Does it have to be done in person or can we call them?
I still don't understand why even her crossed out name isn't enough to merely show her citizenship for the VISA qualifications, aaah! nightmare!
What do you pros think given these details? |
The local dong office of where the head of household lives is where one gets a copy of their family registry. There is no "digging". You go there, ask for a copy and whamo they give it to you. It is quite common for people to get it quite often as if you are job hunting you have to have a printed copy from the dong office that is only so old.
You may very well be on your father's registry as it is not uncommon for whoever the head of the family is to add someone who was born overseas. There have been stories of Americans who come for their first visit to Korea to realize that the military has been wondering where they were (I read somewhere that only two people have been forced to serve under such situations, but it caused others a lot of headaches).
1. Ask the visa people if the real problem is that your mother is crossed out or if it's because you are showing them maternal lineage.
2. I don't know about this, but see if you can find out what dong office your mother was moved to when taken off her father's registry. I dont know if they do this, but it makes sense to me that they would cross reference it somehow(ie Minsu moved to Dong Il Yoo family in Itaewon dong next to her "crossed out" name).
Good luck and I will talk to my wife tomorrow to confirm everything I have written. |
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chiaa
Joined: 23 Aug 2003
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| Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2006 6:42 am Post subject: |
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| I assumed that your mother's ex husband is your father. Excuse me if I am wrong and ignore everything I have written about that. |
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iPeed
Joined: 25 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2006 9:53 am Post subject: |
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My mom's Korean ex-husband is not my father. Understandeable assumption though. I didn't think it effected my eligibility and it doesn't change the documents I need, so I didn't want to complicate the issue.
I don't know why it took our contact all day to get the registry. But that's what happened. Hopefully if it's quick and painless, I can convince someone to make the trip. So it does have to be done in person? |
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