|
Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
Bibbitybop
Joined: 22 Feb 2006
Location: Seoul
|
 Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 10:29 pm Post subject: Getting a new E-2 visa sucks |
 |
|
It's not the required documents. Those are a headache, but if you are on an E-2 visa in Korea, it can all be done through the mail.
What sucks is immigration's time line for processing the documents.
Immigration will not even start processing the visa documents until the day you leave the country and hand in your ARC. I then takes 10-14 days to get the visa issuance number. Then you must go to a Korean Consulate outside of Korea and wait 1-3 days for the new visa. Whether you add in travel or post office times, it's takes around 3 weeks.
As far as I know, immigration won't start the process until you leave Korea. So it takes about 3 weeks to get the new E-2 visa. Why can't they process the paperwork in advance?
Is anyone else in a difficult situation with this process? Does anyone else have information to the contrary? |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Fishead soup
Joined: 24 Jun 2007
Location: Korea
|
| Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 10:33 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Extending an existing one is a piece of cake. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
matthews_world
Joined: 15 Feb 2003
|
| Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 11:46 pm Post subject: Re: Getting a new E-2 visa sucks |
|
|
| Bibbitybop wrote: |
It's not the required documents. Those are a headache, but if you are on an E-2 visa in Korea, it can all be done through the mail.
What sucks is immigration's time line for processing the documents.
Immigration will not even start processing the visa documents until the day you leave the country and hand in your ARC. I then takes 10-14 days to get the visa issuance number. Then you must go to a Korean Consulate outside of Korea and wait 1-3 days for the new visa. Whether you add in travel or post office times, it's takes around 3 weeks.
As far as I know, immigration won't start the process until you leave Korea. So it takes about 3 weeks to get the new E-2 visa. Why can't they process the paperwork in advance?
Is anyone else in a difficult situation with this process? Does anyone else have information to the contrary? |
What you talkin' about Willis?
Are you saying you can't get a visa issuance number for a new job while waiting to finish a current one? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Bibbitybop
Joined: 22 Feb 2006
Location: Seoul
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 12:37 am Post subject: Re: Getting a new E-2 visa sucks |
|
|
| matthews_world wrote: |
| Bibbitybop wrote: |
It's not the required documents. Those are a headache, but if you are on an E-2 visa in Korea, it can all be done through the mail.
What sucks is immigration's time line for processing the documents.
Immigration will not even start processing the visa documents until the day you leave the country and hand in your ARC. I then takes 10-14 days to get the visa issuance number. Then you must go to a Korean Consulate outside of Korea and wait 1-3 days for the new visa. Whether you add in travel or post office times, it's takes around 3 weeks.
As far as I know, immigration won't start the process until you leave Korea. So it takes about 3 weeks to get the new E-2 visa. Why can't they process the paperwork in advance?
Is anyone else in a difficult situation with this process? Does anyone else have information to the contrary? |
What you talkin' about Willis?
Are you saying you can't get a visa issuance number for a new job while waiting to finish a current one? |
That's exactly what I'm saying. After numerous calls to immigration as well as my future employer's calls to immigration, that's the way it is.
They will not start to process your new visa paperwork until you leave the country and have been notified by your currently employer that you are finished working. You current employer can notify them in advance, and the date can be before the end of your contract. For example, if your contract finishes on August 20th, but you have vacation that starts on August 10th and you are leaving the country, your current employer can state that you are "finished working" on August 10th, but this doesn't nullify or change your contract.
Once you leave, then they will start the process. It takes 10-14 days to get the visa issuance number. Then you have to get the visa itself. So it's a 3 week waiting game.
There are other things you can do, like "change employers," but the information varies from immigration. I've heard "no gap between contracts" to "no more than a 15 gap between contracts." But you have to be in country to do this, so if you have a flight or vacation you can't change employers on the same visa.
Insanity. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
captain kirk
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 1:36 am Post subject: |
|
|
I was at a public school, did a year, then went to another pub school in another county/town. No break between contracts. One ended March 1 and the next started March 3.
I went to Immi the first week of Feb (of the month my first year pub elem was ending) and the Immi officer froze. 'Til he got on the phone with a liason guy of some sorts.
Then they just did the 'change employers' thing. Just added another year on. Same ARC just wrote the change of address in marker on the back. No visa run. No documents, nothing. Hoping to do the same thing again this coming March. Fark going on vacation.
If vacation means doing the 'new E2 visa requirements' dance as you've described, B. I can dance but I just don't feel like it. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Bibbitybop
Joined: 22 Feb 2006
Location: Seoul
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 1:51 am Post subject: |
|
|
captain kirk, did you work for the same umbrella organization (SMOE, GEPIK, or EPIK)? If so, your contract was through that organization and your place of work just changed.
Or did you change organizations?
I'm changing employers completely and tried to work out this "change of employer" thing, but with a gap between my contracts I'm being told I can't do that. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
captain kirk
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 2:46 am Post subject: |
|
|
No, I was working for a county in the public school. It was a county contract.
The next contract was thru the provincial office of education. And a contract was signed with them to get the visa rolling. But another contract, same one, was later signed with the actual school and county education office.
So it wasn't thru an umbrella organization like EPIK or anything like that. Yet Immi treated the change of employer slickly, easily, as if it was.
One contract ended March 1 and the next started March 3. No rest for the wicked. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Tommy
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 3:09 am Post subject: |
|
|
Don't know if this helps, and if it's only for first time E2 visa's, but...
http://efl-law.com/visarun.php
| Quote: |
Update March 2008 :
Hi..
I have a couple comments on updates.
First, if someone is in Korea, but hasn't ever had an E class visa before, they can have their employer do a credential check that can take from 10-40 days with the Korean Council of Higher Education. Mine cost about 40,000 won for which I had to pay my employer and I had to sign a form allowing them to research my academic file. Once the local immigration office has entered the fact that a successful credential check has been done into the immigration computer system and updates the record, the individual can go to Japan and get the first time E-Class visa without an interview. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
KYC
Joined: 11 May 2006
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:05 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Bibbitybop wrote: |
captain kirk, did you work for the same umbrella organization (SMOE, GEPIK, or EPIK)? If so, your contract was through that organization and your place of work just changed.
Or did you change organizations?
I'm changing employers completely and tried to work out this "change of employer" thing, but with a gap between my contracts I'm being told I can't do that. |
So what if there's no gap?? Or just a 1 day difference?? This is so....crazy & confusing. I have read your post 3 times and still haven't understood much of it. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
nautilus
Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Location: Je jump, Tu jump, oui jump!
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:32 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Fishead soup wrote: |
| Extending an existing one is a piece of cake. |
Changing employers?
or renewing at the same school? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Bibbitybop
Joined: 22 Feb 2006
Location: Seoul
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:38 am Post subject: |
|
|
| KYC wrote: |
| Bibbitybop wrote: |
captain kirk, did you work for the same umbrella organization (SMOE, GEPIK, or EPIK)? If so, your contract was through that organization and your place of work just changed.
Or did you change organizations?
I'm changing employers completely and tried to work out this "change of employer" thing, but with a gap between my contracts I'm being told I can't do that. |
So what if there's no gap?? Or just a 1 day difference?? This is so....crazy & confusing. I have read your post 3 times and still haven't understood much of it. |
If there is no gap, you can change employers easily. I've heard from different immigration people at the hotline and from employers that there can be up to a 15 day gap. Personally, I was told more than once on the hotline that there can be NO gap.
If you can't understand it, try talking to immigration and getting different answers each week.
Nautilus, staying with the same school and extending the visa is a breeze. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bassexpander
Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Location: Someplace you'd rather be.
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:54 am Post subject: |
|
|
This is all be design. They created this in order to cut down on the amount of paperwork by making teachers think twice about leaving their job for another one.
The actual result is that it causes people to leave Korea where they might have stayed.
I can't complain. It creates more of a teacher shortage and drives wages up. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
blurgalurgalurga
Joined: 18 Oct 2007
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 6:03 am Post subject: |
|
|
Weird. My visa goes until late August, and I'm staying at the same school I've been at for six months or so, after getting my visa transferred from a place I worked for a little over a year. Still with me? Ok; they took my forms and whatnot to Immi, last week, and I got my confirmation number today. I can go to Japan tomorrow, or at the end of the month, or whatever, and I'm golden.
I think. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Bibbitybop
Joined: 22 Feb 2006
Location: Seoul
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 6:09 am Post subject: |
|
|
| blurgalurgalurga wrote: |
Weird. My visa goes until late August, and I'm staying at the same school I've been at for six months or so, after getting my visa transferred from a place I worked for a little over a year. Still with me? Ok; they took my forms and whatnot to Immi, last week, and I got my confirmation number today. I can go to Japan tomorrow, or at the end of the month, or whatever, and I'm golden.
I think. |
So what you are saying is:
You are changing employers.
You are getting a new E-2 visa.
You got your visa issuance number while still in Korea and while still under contract.
That right? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
blurgalurgalurga
Joined: 18 Oct 2007
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 6:15 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Bibbitybop wrote: |
| blurgalurgalurga wrote: |
Weird. My visa goes until late August, and I'm staying at the same school I've been at for six months or so, after getting my visa transferred from a place I worked for a little over a year. Still with me? Ok; they took my forms and whatnot to Immi, last week, and I got my confirmation number today. I can go to Japan tomorrow, or at the end of the month, or whatever, and I'm golden.
I think. |
So what you are saying is:
You are changing employers.
You are getting a new E-2 visa.
You got your visa issuance number while still in Korea and while still under contract.
That right? |
Sorry, not quite: I'm not changing employers.
I am getting a new E 2 visa, because the old one was originally issued to a school I no longer work for. The visa was transferred.
I did indeed get my issuance number, today, and I'm still in Korea and still under contract.
I guess the big difference is that I've been working for these people for six months already, and also I'm not changing employers. I did that six months ago when I transferred the visa.
All they asked of me was a criminal record check, and I'm assuming they'll have me do the medical when I get back from the visa run. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
