Korean Job Discussion Forums

[SpuddyJ]

Hey guys, I need some help. I came here for a job with an E2 VISA. The job didn't work out, when I quit they said they were cancelling my VISA and would give me a Letter of Release if I wanted one but they had never heard of it before (I came here and quit during the training for this job, so before teaching began and before I signed the ful contract... long story. )

Anyway, they lied to me and didn't cancel my E2 VISA. I checked it at the immigration office and everything and its all good. Anyway, I've been working for a new company here for almost 2 months and i'm nearing the 90 day requirement for getting my ARC card and I have a few questions.

1. I've read that to get an ARC card with an E2 VISA I have to have the business' registration number along some other job specific info... info that I don't have and won't be able to get. Is this true?

2. I've also read that if I don't get my ARC card within 90 days then my current E2 VISA becomes invalid and i'm subject to big big fines. Is this true?

3. Also, assuming I don't get this card and have to leave then I think i'll come back on a tourist visa, work for a few more months saving money, and then get the hell outta here. How risky is this option? What do you guys recommend I do if I can't get my ARC?

Please help me out guys, so far teaching in Korea has been a pretty stressful thing and I just want to get all this immigration stuff settled. Ugh.. please help me.

Thanks

[winterwawa]

[SpuddyJ]

[Netz]

[SpuddyJ]

[icicle]

[winterwawa]

[bbonthec]

Hmmm, tricky.... How did this work out? Did you quit your first job within your first month of working there or something?

I won't condone working illegally, but I can sympathize with being in a tough spot. By the sounds of it, you want to do it legally, but your previous employer screwed you over. So, how to make it all legal again?

As a previous poster has stated, the only legal way is to get your previous employer to officially cancel your current E2 visa. The only way to do this is to physically go to immigration WITH your previous employer. The boss-man has to be with you to sign some papers, this is important. I had to cancel my visa just a little while ago, and this is what I was told I had to do (by multiple immigration officers--I called a gazillion times for confirmation). They will then give you 30 days to leave the country, during which your new employer can apply for a new visa and send you off to Japan for a visa run.

The reason that you have to do this is because you do not own your E2 visa. Your previous employer owns your E2 visa. As a result, you can not get an ARC card stating you work at the new hagwon when your former employer is the one who signed your visa papers. And you can't get the ARC card for your old job either, because I doubt your old boss will submit their business registration number to you, and that wouldn't be legal anyways.

One thing that might be your saving grace: the new E2 laws, effective Dec. 15th, apparently allow for the transferral of E2 visas to other employers. Nobody is really certain on this, but Immigration might be able to answer these questions for you. When is your 90 day window up? If it's still a month away, you might be able to get your old boss to transfer the visa to your new boss after the 15th, and possibly do a quick Japan run to make it legal. Look into this, it might be the perfect solution to your problem.

[SpuddyJ]

[winterwawa]

I don't know much about a C4 VISA except that it is for tempoary employment. This link may be helpful.

http://www.g4f.go.kr/pt/InfoDetailR_en.pt?bbscttTitle=Visa+Issuance+Procedure&categoryId=2&parentId=380&catSeq=385&showMenuId=367&fromOrgPath=&toOrgPath=&userId=&resorceCont=info+boards+%3E+Immigration

[CentralCali]

To the OP:

Don't work illegally! It's not a good idea at the moment. And you might end up cooling your heels in the detention center if caught while you're awaiting family in your home country to send you money to pay the fines.

Do go to the police and report your diploma stolen, but do this after you have a "short discussion" with your old boss. In short, tell the scum...er, "nice individual" that perhaps he should fork over both the diploma and the letter of release so you don't have to go to the police to report the theft of your property.

Regardless of what your boss told you, your training isn't before your job began. He sponsored you into the country and he sponsored you as an employee. In your "short discussion" with him, be sure to casually mention that you need to take care of some personal business at the Tax Office and the Pension Office but you might be persuaded to ignore that business if you get the two documents mentioned above.

[bbonthec]