Korean Job Discussion Forums

stevieg4ever · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Location: London, England

I was wondering how easy it is to change from a student visa to a working visa?

I am planning on doing two consecutive terms at a university in Korea and then I want to change to a working visa (probably an E2). How difficult is to change to a working visa whilst already in Korea with an existing student visa?

I heard that in order to receive a working visa it needs to be issued by your country of birth / legal residence, is that true?

Is there anyway of switching from the one visa to the other without having to fly round trip back home?

I won't be doing this till next year so I have plenty of time and I haven't started ringing the necessary Korean embassies as yet (will do Monday).

What other complications should I be aware of and how do the [relatively] new regulations effect the whole process.

Thanks in advance

iggyb · Joined: 29 Oct 2003

I can't give a definitive answer. You can try looking at the Korean embassy sites or Korean immigration sites for that.

I don't know about the student-visa, but it has been fairly common for some to come over on a tourist visa, look for a job, then fly to Japan to get a new visa once they have a job.

Things could have changed, but that is the way it was in the past.

stevieg4ever · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Location: London, England

I thought they only give you a tourist visa if you have an onward ticket or is that not true?

And like I said I wasn't sure if your E2 visa (at least the first one) needed to be issued by the Korean embassy in your country of permanent residence.

iggyb · Joined: 29 Oct 2003

We spent the extra money for the round-trip in case they required it.

stevieg4ever · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Location: London, England

Smart idea my man. Even the tourist visa thing is a bit of a mystery as some people have said that they do issue visas on first arrival if you have come from one of the 'big seven' but if you come from a country like, for example, Thailand where there are a lot of illegals then you may require an onward ticket. Not sure myself though...

Carla · Joined: 21 Nov 2008

iggyb · Joined: 29 Oct 2003

I don't know about in recent years, but in 1996-2000, going to Korea on a tourist visa to look for a job in person and then going to Osaka to change visas after finding a job was done routinely. Not the majority of TESOLers were doing it, but it was common enough...

Also, this was before SK and the US had worked out a no-visa waiver policy...