Korean Job Discussion Forums

mvp3 · Joined: 14 May 2007

so here is my situation ...
I was fired from my school the other day (not going to get into the details and i don't think i can post the schools name on here but) and I want to stay in Korea on a tourist visa. I went to immigration today and inquired as to how I go about this. The immigration official asked me why I wanted to do this. I just stated that I am no longer at my job and I would like to stay in Korea as a visitor. He looked up my information on the computer and made a phone call. After about 20 min of waiting while he talked on the phone to what seemed like a long lost relative complete with roaring laughter, etc ... he told me that he had just talked to the owner of my former hagwon and the only way that I could cancel my E-2 visa was to come back to the immigration office with the owner to fill out the necessary paperwork. I was told that I need to have an exit order to leave Korea and clear me of any current visa obligations. Then I would be able to come back in on a tourist visa. He said that if I leave without an exit order I will be ineligible to return to Korea for 2 years. I stated that I am not exactly on pleasant terms with the hagwon owner and what are my options if he won't sign the necessary papers to cancel my visa? His response was that I would have to negotiate with my boss in order to get the paper signed. I have a signed termination letter from my hagwon stating that I am no longer employed there. I showed this to him and he said that it didn't matter and that I still had to come back to immigration with the owner of the hagwon to fill out the necessary documents...
Any advice/help on this would be great ... Am I being jerked around by immigration or is there no way to cancel your E-2 without the aide of the hagwon even though I have my termination letter ... I am not trying to get a letter of release I just want out of my E-2!

Atavistic · Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 5:45 am Post subject:

I got evicted from my last apartment because my wonkangnim didn't pay my rent. I haven't spoken to her since before I got home that fateful day. NOBODY at the school would sign any paperwork saying I've been fired, I was free of my visa, not even anything saying I'd quit.

When I went to Japan, I simply gave the immi officer at the airport my ARC and asked him to cancel my visa. I even said, "I'm going to get a new visa." He said, "OK" and wrote "CANCEL" on the visa and "going to get new visa" near the immi stamp.

You may be able to simply leave, give them your ARC and ask them to cancel the visa for you.

cruisemonkey

Atavistic · Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 7:00 am Post subject:

Immi does NOT need a letter of release. New jobs want a letter of release.

I got my current job while I was still on my old job's visa, while I had no proof of being fired (since my boss refused to fire me--wouldn't find me a house, either, or pay me, or pay my rent, but wouldn't fire me).

The NEW jobs want an LOR. It's not a requirement of immi.

At least that's what I was told when I was going through this shyte and this was in April/May.

lastat06513 · Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 3:31 pm Post subject:

What people have said so far pretty much sums it up.....

You can go to the airport, hand in your ARC and they would write "VOID" over your old visa- this would terminate your visa at that stage.

Then depending on your nationality, you can;

1. American- go to the Korean embassy in Japan and get a C-3 visa, with allows you to stay in Korea for 90-day periods for up to 5 years.

2. Canadian- Leave the country and come back in on a 6-month entry stamp that gets renewed every time you leave the country.....

And if you choose to go the tourist-visa route, everytime you leave the country, make a trip of it.

~ Go to Thailand for a week or so
~ Take a ferry to China or Japan
~ Go to Guam to get products at Walmart (like deorderant) that would be cheaper than buying them in Korea

There are many things you can do with a tourist visa....

nancy123 · Joined: 23 Nov 2005

I just got back yesterday from a trip to Japan...I too was fired ...I canceled my work visa handed in my ARC card and re- entered on a tourist visa. Hope this helps.

mvp3 · Joined: 14 May 2007

so the nonsense continues and my former employer called me yesterday and told me that they were in the process of trying to sue me for breaking the contract ... I am thinking this is a scare tactit on their part but I want to make sure there isn't any truth to what they are saying? Is there any way that they can prevent me from re-entering the country on a visitor stamp or tourist visa? thanks for all the replies so far everyone!

jellobean · Joined: 14 Mar 2006

Did you quit or did they fire you?

If they fired you for no good reason then you didn't break the contract.

If they fired you because they claim you broke the contract then they might have something if they can prove you did what you said....

But usually the only penalty for breaking the contract is the firing....

I'm thinking it's a scare tactic....

Just tell them you are leaving and never coming back.....

Then leave and come back as a tourist....

You have to wait to get a new E-2 until the old one expires, but chances of them realizing you came back are low unless they are really out to get you.....

A big production in front of the boss about how they have ruined Korea and made you think badly of Koreans so you must go home might help them believe you aren't coming back....

lastat06513 · Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2007 3:00 pm Post subject:

if you leave the country and come back on a tourist visa, how are they going to find you?

You won't have a fixed address (or so immigration might think) so where would they send the papers for the lawsuit- it is not like in the US where a marshal would show up at the door with some kind of legal paperwork- at least I never saw that when I was in Korea.

Just follow through with your plan and leave/ come back on a tourist visa.

But....if you plan on working in Korea again and try to get a work visa, there might be some issues there, so you might want to look into it.

This reminds me~ I remember another American guy who got hired at a private elementary school in Balsan-Dong. He worked there for only 2 weeks before he was compelled to quit- the director and the other teachers were working against him and he felt it was a very uncomfortable place to work.....anyway, he followed through on the formalities of leaving (going to the immigration office and cancelling the blue form) and about a week later, after his last class, he went to the bank and found they mistakenly deposited not the 1.4 million won for the 2 weeks he worked there, but 3.5 million won!!! (the school deposited not only the money for the 2 weeks of work, but they deposited the pay for the new teacher they hired to replace him by mistake!!!!) Being the roughneck that he was, he cleaned out and cancelled the bank account and used the money for a trip to indonesia. He got countless threatening emails and calls on his phone (threatening to take him to the police and to report him to immigration) but when he returned, not only was he ok, he got himself another job, this time at a public school.

So if he was able to leave with little or no repercussions, I doubt anything will happen to you too.

austinfd · Joined: 14 May 2006

davai! · Joined: 04 Dec 2005 Location: Kuwait

Americans automatically get 30 days upon entry and then can apply for an additional 60 at immigration.

I have done this several times. At Masan immi, the form wants you to list your reasons, but (last month) at Seoul immi, there was no space for that on the form. 30000 won and 1 hour.

lastat06513 · Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2007 9:47 am Post subject:

If a person goes to the embassy and applies for a C-3 visa, they can automatically stay in Korea for up to 90 days before they leave and come back again- with absolutely no questions asked....

The good thing about the C-3 visa is that it is good for up to 5 years, unlike an E-2 visa which has to be renewed every single year...and now there is word that a person might have to go home to get it renewed, a waste of time and money I think......