Korean Job Discussion Forums

HamuHamu · Joined: 01 May 2003 Location: Seoul

Bit of a crappy situation I'm in right now, and I'm just wondering if anyone has any experience/advice with this situation...

Applied for a job last week, as a couple with my boyfriend. We got the job, gave our degrees and sealed transcripts to the director and he took them to Immigration.

I also submitted a release letter from my current job (which had many many months notice that I was quitting, and it was done on good terms). When Immigration looked at the release letter, they decided there was an "Error" on it, in that it was titled wrong, and would not accept it. My new director called my old boss to get her to re-write the letter. She found out my new school is close to hers, and decided that she doesn't want me to work for this new school, because she fears students will change to my new school. So, she basically said that she would NOT issue me a new release letter and I am stuck with no way to work -- except for her -- for a couple of more months.

So aside from being furious over that, the new school had no choice but to not hire me, and as a result, not hire my boyfriend (he only has housing for a couple).

He returned our uni degrees, but told us that Immigration would not return our transcripts to him, because THEY (ie/ Immigration) had opened them, hence rendering them USELESS!

Now, I can't get a job, but my boyfriend needs to find one ASAP. New transcripts from his university will take at least one month.

Has anyone ever had any luck - or ever tried -- to get Immigration to either return their transcripts (maybe Immi can re-seal them with their own stamp or something??) OR for them to just use the transcripts they have on file for us?

Are we totally screwed??

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

Hotpants · Joined: 27 Jan 2006

Yeah, the transcripts won't come back. You're stuck with going through the whole process again. Are you sure you want to repeat the fact that you agreed to leave your company on amicable terms??? Your employer sucks.

spliff · Joined: 19 Jan 2004 Location: Khon Kaen, Thailand

What I don't comprehend is why you have to go through this same discipline every time you get another job here....you'd think that they'd have a networked database that they can scour applicants on for previous visa issuances. But I conclude that would be to convenient and they wouldn't be able to get that auxiliary 40 hrs of overtime that makes them look indispensable to their administrators!

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

As I see it, the only thing you and the b/f can do is to find a new job farther away, pronto. A few tears and an envelope of cash from the newest boss should do the trick.

Good luck.

jacl · Joined: 31 Oct 2005

You probably weren't forceful enough with immigration. If immigration broke the seal on the transcript, that's their problem. They received it with the seal and that's all that should matter. The old school probably called immigration and they illegally refused your LOR. An LOR is an LOR. Doesn't matter about the title. You could write it on toilet paper and title it "A Sunny Day in Peru". As long as it has the old school's stamp on it, it should be fine.

I'd contact a lawyer if I were you. That should straighten things out. Don't accept crap like this.

bellum99 · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: don't need to know

HamuHamu · Joined: 01 May 2003 Location: Seoul

jacl · Joined: 31 Oct 2005

rainyqueen · Joined: 14 Nov 2005

I've been here for almost 6 years, and never stayed at the same school for more than one contract. I've never had a sealed transcript, and I've gotten it back each time (the last of which was last summer). It's in my closet right now.

Heather