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pikadoopoo
Joined: 19 May 2011
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 Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 6:52 am Post subject: Considering dual citizenship? Or need more info? |
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I was going to post this in the thread I had already made, but it was getting messy (5+ pages).
Dual citizenship was legalized in Korea 2 years ago, and I've come across a few topics in other forums with people considering it. I thought I'd give you my 2 cents.
If you are currently an F-visa holder and are eligible for and are considering dual citizenship, please note that you will most likely lose many of the benefits that come with your visa, such as housing and "foreigner salary." However, I guess it doesn't matter if you are already settled and quite stable with your life in Korea.
If you are an adoptee and are also considering, the same applies to you. You are eligible for military service if you are a male, but you may file for military exemption.
If you are a 2nd-generation Gyopo (Korean-American, Korean-Canadian, Korean-etc) who was born after May 4, 1988 and your father was a Korean citizen at the time of your birth, you are not eligible for any visas (F4, E2, etc). Instead, you will have to put your name in your Korean family registry and apply for a Korean passport. This whole process takes about 3 to 4 months, and you will also have to fill out a military exemption form if you are a male. If you are a female, you are allowed to renounce your Korean citizenship after putting your name in the registry. If you are a male, then you can't renounce your citizenship until you turn 36 or decide to serve.
The benefits of dual citizenship:
1. You are basically a Korean citizen with all the rights of a Korean.
2. This means you can easily apply for credit cards, loans, etc.
3. You are a Korean citizen. What more can I say?
The disadvantages of dual citizenship:
1. The higher pay for foreigners and benefits (housing, airfare, tax exemption, etc) may no longer apply to you, depending on the company/school you work for.
2. Some companies may not even be willing to hire you simply because you don't have a visa. "Oh, no visa? No work!"
3. You have to file for military exemption if you're a guy (with Korean ancestry). Or just serve the military if you wish.
Places I know of that do not hire dual citizens as teachers:
SMOE
Avalon
YBM (including all of their branches)
Chungdahm (CDI)
Places that do and will give you similar benefits as other visa-holders:
GEPIK
EPIK (excluding SMOE) <- not 100% sure
TALK
Topia
Smaller hagwons
If anyone is ever in my situation (dual citizenship due to age) and you're looking for teaching jobs, I recommend contacting ATC and Korvia. They are lifesavers.
Hope this was helpful! |
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aznhybrid
Joined: 18 Jan 2012
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| Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 9:49 am Post subject: Re: Considering dual citizenship? Or need more info? |
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| pikadoopoo wrote: |
| If you are a 2nd-generation Gyopo (Korean-American, Korean-Canadian, Korean-etc) who was born after May 4, 1988 and your father was a Korean citizen at the time of your birth, you are not eligible for any visas (F4, E2, etc). |
I have a quick question, what if your mother was a Korean citizen and your father wasn't? Would you be able to get an F4?
I've contacted my consulate but they seem pretty confused. I think I am just going to mail them my application and see what happens. |
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pikadoopoo
Joined: 19 May 2011
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| Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 11:11 am Post subject: Re: Considering dual citizenship? Or need more info? |
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| aznhybrid wrote: |
| pikadoopoo wrote: |
| If you are a 2nd-generation Gyopo (Korean-American, Korean-Canadian, Korean-etc) who was born after May 4, 1988 and your father was a Korean citizen at the time of your birth, you are not eligible for any visas (F4, E2, etc). |
I have a quick question, what if your mother was a Korean citizen and your father wasn't? Would you be able to get an F4?
I've contacted my consulate but they seem pretty confused. I think I am just going to mail them my application and see what happens. |
You should call more than one consulate because their answers vary. Or if you can, call the Korean immigration offices directly. I was told that this law affects people with Korean fathers by 3 official sources. To be on the safe side, I think you should've gone with an E2 visa because the consulate can't tell if you're Korean or not because of your last name (assuming your father isn't of Korean ancestry). |
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nellehehe
Joined: 08 Aug 2011
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| Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 5:55 pm Post subject: Re: Considering dual citizenship? Or need more info? |
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| pikadoopoo wrote: |
| aznhybrid wrote: |
| pikadoopoo wrote: |
| If you are a 2nd-generation Gyopo (Korean-American, Korean-Canadian, Korean-etc) who was born after May 4, 1988 and your father was a Korean citizen at the time of your birth, you are not eligible for any visas (F4, E2, etc). |
I have a quick question, what if your mother was a Korean citizen and your father wasn't? Would you be able to get an F4?
I've contacted my consulate but they seem pretty confused. I think I am just going to mail them my application and see what happens. |
You should call more than one consulate because their answers vary. Or if you can, call the Korean immigration offices directly. I was told that this law affects people with Korean fathers by 3 official sources. To be on the safe side, I think you should've gone with an E2 visa because the consulate can't tell if you're Korean or not because of your last name (assuming your father isn't of Korean ancestry). |
Do not do this.
I tried doing this and wasted a lot of time, effort, and money. They will look you up and find you SOMEHOW, and know that you're Korean. My friend and I both tried this and got turned down. |
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pikadoopoo
Joined: 19 May 2011
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| Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 6:50 pm Post subject: |
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Do you and your friend have typical Korean last names? I didn't even think about "fooling" the consulate because my middle and last names are Korean.
My halfie friend has a Chinese-sounding last name and he sent off his E2 visa docs a couple of days ago. I'll update you guys on whether or not it works for him. 
I'm not encouraging this, but it's more like a last resort kind of thing. My friend got his NoA from EPIK and there is no way he can get a Korean passport before March. |
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nellehehe
Joined: 08 Aug 2011
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| Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 10:02 pm Post subject: |
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| pikadoopoo wrote: |
Do you and your friend have typical Korean last names? I didn't even think about "fooling" the consulate because my middle and last names are Korean.
My halfie friend has a Chinese-sounding last name and he sent off his E2 visa docs a couple of days ago. I'll update you guys on whether or not it works for him.
I'm not encouraging this, but it's more like a last resort kind of thing. My friend got his NoA from EPIK and there is no way he can get a Korean passport before March. |
My last name is Yi (sounds Chinese) and my friend's last name was No. I put my name in the family registry and recently renounced the k-citizenship last month.. although I wouldn't recommend this process because it takes A LONG TIME. NOW my CBC expired so I have to apply for a new one.. sigh.. =/ |
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pikadoopoo
Joined: 19 May 2011
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| Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 3:19 am Post subject: |
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| nellehehe wrote: |
| pikadoopoo wrote: |
Do you and your friend have typical Korean last names? I didn't even think about "fooling" the consulate because my middle and last names are Korean.
My halfie friend has a Chinese-sounding last name and he sent off his E2 visa docs a couple of days ago. I'll update you guys on whether or not it works for him.
I'm not encouraging this, but it's more like a last resort kind of thing. My friend got his NoA from EPIK and there is no way he can get a Korean passport before March. |
My last name is Yi (sounds Chinese) and my friend's last name was No. I put my name in the family registry and recently renounced the k-citizenship last month.. although I wouldn't recommend this process because it takes A LONG TIME. NOW my CBC expired so I have to apply for a new one.. sigh.. =/ |
Yeah, I feel your pain. I've been on this ESL job-searching journey since last May. I was accepted for EPIK Fall 2011, got my congresswoman to expedite my CBC, but then I found out I wasn't eligible for any visas. So I had to cancel my application, do this ridiculous family registry/passport process, get all of my docs again, and re-apply for EPIK Spring 2012... only to get rejected because my preference was Seoul. So I've been looking for hagwon jobs for 3 or 4 months now, and I even applied directly to SMOE, etc... (All rejected, or accepted and then rejected b/c of my dual citizenship). I've been having so much bad luck until a few days ago. I have a few hagwon interviews and a GEPIK interview soon. I'm hoping all this stress and time pays off. |
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pikadoopoo
Joined: 19 May 2011
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 3:04 pm Post subject: |
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Sorry for the double-post, but I just wanted to update you guys on what happened.
My friend got his E2 visa.  But he is half white and his last name is pretty rare, so please don't expect to have the same luck as he did.
Also, I got a job with a GEPIK school! No more worrying, at least for now.  |
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