Korean Job Discussion Forums

tommy77 · Joined: 26 Mar 2008

How long should it take to procees an F2 visa? My wife and I have all the necessary documentation but we have been told [ over the phone ] it could take up to 3 months. Why?

Any advice would be much appreciated!!

jetrash · Joined: 02 Jun 2007 Location: the united steaks

wont take take that long
..drop the forms off at immi,get your visa the following week.

talking on the phone?..mm,they make it up as they go along,all with different stories,form requirments,etc.etc etc.

just go into immi,do whatever they ask,be polite,smile Very Happy

...and they will post it to you in a week,or pick it up from them in person.

Imrahil · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 1:07 am Post subject:

They also told me it would take up to 3 months. But, mine only took a month. There is no logical reason for it to take so long unless they have lots of applications. Also you will probably have to do an interview and they will come to your house. They told us that those are new requirements for first time F-2-1 applicants.

jetrash · Joined: 02 Jun 2007 Location: the united steaks

tommy77 · Joined: 26 Mar 2008

Imrahil · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 2:11 am Post subject:

Yes I am white, but they said that it was a new rule mainly just to prove that we were really married. As you should know every immigration office in Korea has different rules. I guess I got a stricter one.

tommy77 · Joined: 26 Mar 2008

Did they really go to your house?

Imrahil · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 3:58 am Post subject:

Yes, I should give a little more background info. I returned from my honeymoon on a tourist visa. I am sure if you are on an E-2 visa when you apply for the F-2-1 it should be faster. The guy that came to my house could not speak a word of English, no joke! They guy had EVERYTHING about me and my time in Korea. he just asked my wife questions about how we met and for how long we have lived together. (everything that we gave on the written form) Also about how big our apartment was and is it in her name. Then he looked at photo's of our wedding. The interview finished when he found out that my wife's family actually came to my home country for our wedding ceremony. The guy actually looked stunned to find out that her family went to a western speaking country for a wedding.

tommy77 · Joined: 26 Mar 2008

Wow. that's full on. Thanks for the info. I have an E2 visa so things should not be that complicated. I spoke to a friend of mine who married recently and he said they just want to make sure i'm not from a 3rd world country. Horrible isn't it.

Imrahil · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 4:50 am Post subject:

I think with me it was the fact that I was on a tourist VISA which slowed things down. Also when we wen't to the immigration office that also told us that they had a backlog of work to do so it would take some time.

Chamchiman · Joined: 24 Apr 2006 Location: Digging the Grave

When we submitted our application, we were told it would take one to two months to process. I thought our application was fairly straightforward, and certainly not so much more difficult than an E-2 visa that it would take so much longer to process. (Insert chagrined shrug emoticon here.)

jbpatlanta · Joined: 02 Jun 2007 Location: Daejeon

When I got my F2 visa,l I also was on a tourist visa. I filled out the application showed all the documents to immigration and had the visa stamped in my passport in about 10 minutes. Don't understand why there would be a holdout or take 3 months. In fact a friend on mine just applied at a different immy office and it took him only about 15 minutes too.

However, when I got my F5 visa it took about 2 months. They checked out our finances, my criminal background in Korea and the States, and gave me a interview in Korean. They did not come to my house. I guess the fact that my wife was 9 months pregnant and my three year old son was in my lap was proof enough that we were really married and not after a visa.

Good luck.

agoodmouse · Joined: 20 Dec 2007 Location: Anyang

KumaraKitty · Joined: 09 Jan 2006 Location: Bucheon

I got mine just over a year ago. We took in all the required documents to Incheon immigration as well as a copy of our bankbook and apartment lease.
They only wanted his family registry, marriage registry and marriage certificate. I was on a Tourist Visa. The girl chatted nicely with us in fluent English and said to come back in a week. 1 week later picked up my passport and new ARC card. Easy and quick. But again, I am a woman and it seems a lot of foreign women married to Korean men have it easier than foreign men married to Korean women. Good luck!

Scouse Mouse · Joined: 07 Jan 2007 Location: Cloud #9

I went in to arrange my F-2 yesterday. I was told it can take up to 2 months, and already knew what we had to take along. We had all the documents and took them in. The Immi officer was nice, and told my wife that she had approved it and that I would get my passport back in a week. I was pleased Very Happy

The docs we needed were:

I think these last 2 were specific to the office we were visiting, and were intended to cut the need any investigation they may otherwise have carried out. As supporting evidence for my wifes statements, she also provided airline tickets from vacations we had taken together, as well as showing wedding photo's. Whilst these were not necessarily needed, the immigration officer did say that it was obvious that our marriage was not fake (it probably helped that the wife is very pregnant) and so we got the instant approval.

My advice would be to take along everything you can think of, and be as charming as you can be. Have fun with the officer and show how happy you and wife are to be together and living in the hub of asia Wink