Korean Job Discussion Forums

[pocariboy73]

My Canadian passport expires this January 2007 and my E1 visa expires next month (August 2006)edited. What I'm wondering is if it's possible to renew my visa for another year at the immigration office given that there is only 6 months left on my passport, or must I get another passport before a 1 year visa can be issued?

Thanks in advance...

[inkoreaforgood]

They will most likely extend your visa till the end of the passport. Then, after you renew your passport, you'll have to pay another visit to immigration and get that visa extended.

BTW, it's July now, ya hooser...

[schwa]

You can get a new one-year visa with your old passport. When you do get a new passport, you've got 2 weeks to visit immigration to fill out a form informing them.

If you're planning on vacation travels in the interim, be aware that some countries wont let you in with less than 6 months on your passport.

[ajuma]

Sorry, schwa, but that's the wrong info. They'll only give you the visa until your passport expires, THEN you have to go back to immi and get the remainder of the visa put in your new passport AND on your ARC card. pocariboy73: Do you have time to go to the Canadian Embassy and renew your passport now? You can renew up to 1 year in advance.

[poet13]

My canadian passport expires in september. Immi would not extend my visa past that period.

[pocariboy73]

What happens to the existing visa if a new passport is issued before that visa has expired? Do you have to carry around two passports (old and new) when leaving/entering the country, or is there somekind of record put onto the new passport or computer system regarding existing visas and mutiple entry stamps?

[jajdude]

I did this a few months ago. Not a problem. You get a new passport, which can be a bit of a hassle. You ask for the old one back with the new. Canada is kind enough. At least in Busan they were, in Seoul they treated me like a criminal with wrong photos etc.. References: fill them out. Do they actually check? I doubt it. A month later it all comes in the mail. Answer the door and sign electronically. When you hit the airport or ferry for exit show the old passport date of entry to be cool. You have 2 passports and your Canadian, they like us. I think.

[hogwonguy1979]

[schwa]

Maybe the word "wrong" is getting tossed around too freely in this thread.

As we've seen before, procedures vary from one immi office to another. I assumed something as basic as new passports & visa transferral would be standardized, but apparently not. Sorry folks, my wrong assumption!

My experience above was first-hand & quite recent. Others, clearly, have had different experiences.

I guess every bit of advice about immigration stuff needs to be qualified as just one possible scenario.

To the OP: However your local office wants to handle it, just play along. In my experience, immigration doesnt have a secret agenda to make our lives difficult.

[ajuma]

[Lizara]

I had about nine months left on my passport when I got here last year and got my visa with no problems. When I renewed my passport I went to immigration and they told me I didn't need to do anything to register it there. I thought this was probably wrong, but I got a re-entry stamp in my new passport because, well, I needed one anyway. Incidentally, this was long after the two-week period that I was supposed to have to notify immigration. Nobody said anything.

I'm leaving Korea tomorrow for a vacation so I guess we'll see then how much trouble I'm in at Incheon...

[schwa]