Korean Job Discussion Forums

[maeil]

Could anyone on this board who has personally gone through the F3 (dependent spouse) visa process please get in touch with me via PM? If you can't PM yet, please respond here and I will PM you.

Thank you!

[redeye]

I can't pm yet; however, I've been here on an F3 since last year. Let me know what you need to know.

[redeye]

I don�t want to bore you with too many details, but here was my experience. Hopefully, this information may be helpful to others too.

My husband accepted his position in Korea and we went ahead and purchased one-way tickets for Korea. (As you know, they usually want you here quickly). I had already done research online as to what I needed for a visa to accompany him. (Via the US-Korean Embassy site). Anyway, for my visa, I sent the following documents to the embassy: passport, marriage certificate, husband�s contract copy, application, money. I received a phone call from the embassy saying I could not accompany my husband to Korea. I had to wait until he arrived in Korea, then apply for an F-3. Ridiculous since that is not what their website said. And we already had tickets. I guess they don�t issue the F-3 visa until your spouse is in-country. She said it would be �impossible� for me to fly to Korea with him even though we already had tickets. Having lived in Korea before, I knew that to be load of crap. I asked her why I couldn�t just go in on another visa�3 month tourist, etc. Oh, she said, yes, I can give you that visa; that would work. (But she wasn�t going to offer that solution up front!) She said the problem was that I would have to fly out after three months and then apply for the F-3. Not a problem, I said, as long as I could do that in Japan, etc. She said that would work.

Anyway, bottom line is:
I came in on a 3-month tourist visa. My husband�s hagwon was awesome and did all of the paperwork, legwork, etc. to get my F-3 visa within just a few weeks (and my ARC). I didn�t really have to do anything except hand them my: passport, marriage certificate, and husband�s contract copy. Good thing I didn�t need birth certificate, since I don�t even know where mine is. I also did not need a letter of support or invitation, or a copy of his ARC or passport. But maybe the school gave those to them without my knowing about it.

They also applied for me to be on his insurance since we requested that. Our infant son is also on his insurance. It costs us about $50 a month for all 3 of us (total). That has been wonderful. (Side note: I have to admit I love the healthcare. Our son was in ER one day, had x-rays, bloodwork, multiple medicines, IV, etc. Total cost: 9,000 won.) I think that my husband simply pays the insurance fee for himself (cost related to salary) and then we get to be on it for free.

The whole process was easier than I expected, but his school was also very helpful. I did not have to leave the country, as the ignoramus at the embassy insisted I would. (She made the whole thing sound a lot more complicated than it was. �Impossible�, �You cannot,� and many other replies. I insisted there was a way, and it worked. Sometimes you�ve got to be a little persistent.)
Anyway, if you�re already in-country, I would imagine you could get married if you aren�t already and easily go through the same process. Maybe leaving for Japan and then coming in on a tourist visa would make it work better. However, if your husband�s job would help out with the application process, it would also probably be a lot easier. Let me know if you have any other questions!

[DongjakDude]

F3 is very easy to get, as mentioned above. Come to Korea on a tourist visa (or just come, if you don't need a visa to enter). Go to the immigration office with your spouse's passport (which has their work visa), your marriage certificate, your passport, and some cash (100,000 won or so to be safe). You'll get the F3 visa on the spot. Then just go back a week later to get your ID card. It's very simple.

[maeil]

Thanks for the help, guys.