Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Plow565]

I'm currently living in Seoul on a student visa (I changed it when I had no attractive job offers lined up so I decided to take a month off and study korean at a university) I now have a very good job lined up for November 1st but I think I have to get all the BS for my visa taken care of again. I sent in my fingerprint card to the FBI about 3 or 4 weeks ago, how long does it take to hear back from them? My Job is supposed to start in November, so I'd like to get all the paperwork taken care of ASAP. was late august early enough? I realize I'm rather low on the FBI's list of priorities, but 2 months should be plenty of time....shouldn't it?

[Skippy]

http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cjisd/faqs.html

The FAQ says 3 to 4 weeks. But you have to remember the speed of bureaucracy. Also I hear that the FBI check is always back logged. So I would not be surprised it takes much longer.

Good Luck

[Chambertin]

As the above poster said, they take as long as they want. That 3 to 4 weeks is BS. Think at least two months and even then that may not be a safe timetable.

They are in the midst of a government hiring boom, a mass exodus of the people who can leave for better pastures, add to that the immigration of people from places worse off, and the general laziness of those with a government granted job and if you get your card back before next year I'd say youre lucky.

The other piece of beauty if you had one tiny thing wrong with the card, even if it is the fault of the police or the preparing agency they will send it back snail mail after it clears the last phase. In other words you may not find out until its too late that someone else screwed you.

Ahh, the bitterness I hold.

[RBJfaraway]

To give our wonderfully efficient government bureaucracy the benefit of the doubt, they do say that it take 3-4 weeks from the time that they receive it.

So, even if they are running right on schedule, you're also looking at about 1 week to get it there and 1 week to get it back, at least. I guess it all depends on the method of shipping.

[jmackenz]

I know it's too late for you, but for future teachers who are browsing the forum, if you write ASAP on your envelope and on your cover letter it should go faster. Mine took two weeks when I wrote ASAP. I have another in the mail in which I didn't write ASAP (because I just wanted an extra one and didn't think I would need it ASAP). It's been three weeks and it hasn't come back yet. So it definitely makes a difference.

[mc_jc]

Let's say I want to go back into teaching and I go home to get the paperwork I need to get an ESL teaching job.
There is an FBI office right downtown, could I just go there and get it done?

[smoggy]

It also depends on the State you work through. (I'm in Arizona). Arizona always has problems accepting my fingerprints as I am a professional pianist and practice tends to make my fingerprints blurry. The FBI takes 3-4 weeks even with ASAP.

[Captain Courageous]

You can pay a hundred bucks to a PI to get a state CBC in a few days, if you don't have much time. They just get the stuff from an information broker. Valid for my visa, should be for yours, too.

[SFValley]

[djsmnc]

Got my CBC from the FBI in 2 weeks flat. It was the day after I had requested it for, but that was soon enough