Korean Job Discussion Forums

[junglyrex]

Hi, i'm new here so first of all hello.

Secondly, sorry if this question has been answered a million times before but I couldn't find it on the search and google didnt really help either.

Anyway, I'm a British passport holder currently in Korea on a 90-day tourist visa waiver which will expire around 20th September.

I'm at a private college at the moment and have recently started learning Korean.

I am thinking of trying to register to a 10 week course at a university such as Yonsei, if possible for the Fall semester which according to their website begins on the 27th September.

Can anyone give me advice on where I may stand in regards to my visa?

Is it possible for my to register for the course and then apply to upgrade my tourist visa to a D-4 (or different) to allow my to stay on in Korea without leaving when my 90 day tourist visa expires about a week before the course starts?

Alternatively if I am accepted to the school and leave Korea to China or Japan for a few days and return to Korea on a new tourist visa are there likely to be any problems. (I have done this once before previously without problems but don't want to keep doing it if I am likely to get denied entry or anything).

Again, apologies if this question is asked repeatedly but any help is appreciated.

[ttompatz]

Easiest way would be to get the paperwork from the school and do a quick visa run to Japan to get your D-4.

Baring that a quick trip out and back will get you another 90 days on a new tourist stamp.

(Just an FYI - it is not legal to study on a visa waiver (tourist) stamp).

.

[junglyrex]

OK Thanks,

So even if I got a D-4 visa I would still need to leave the country and come back.

I am doing this for legitimate reasons, but there is presumably a risk of not being allowed back in if I try and re-enter on a new 90 day tourist visa waiver?

Also the more i look the more confused I get about the D-4 visa.

Some universities seem to say you need to enrol for 2 semesters to get the D-4 as it lasts for 6 months. others seem to same 1 semester is good enough. I can't afford to pay for 2 semesters. Do you know if it is possible to get one. I would rather stay for 6 months on a D-4 than have to leave again after another 90 days on a tourist.

[ttompatz]

[junglyrex]

OK thanks again, so to sum up:

Assuming I am accepted to the University then it shouldn't be a problem for me to apply for a D-4 visa, leave the country, visit an embassy in Japan for example and return and enter on the D-4. This is then valid for 6 months.

I am also reading that I should leave 1 month for them to process the visa. Is this correct? As that doesn't give me much time to apply for the University.

Thanks. I'm reading so much differing information!

[ttompatz]

[junglyrex]

alright thanks alot.

hopefully things should be ok for me.

[coralreefer_1]

Just to point something out (and forgive me if I misunderstood another posters comment) if you are/were already in Korea, you do not need to leave Korea again to apply and get the D4. Assuming the registration process was completed and immigration processed that paperwork quick enough, you may not need to leave Korea at all.

I did the same thing last year...went back and forth three times extending my tourist stay, and applied to the Korean program on tourist status, and the D4 was issued from the local immigration office (meaning no trip to Japan for getting the D4)

However in your case, depending on the timing of the application process and the time remaining on your current stay (tourist) you may need to make another trip to Japan only to get another 90 days to allow the visa processing to complete (processing done at your local immigration office)

[junglyrex]

ah that's good news.

Hopefully could save me some money on travelling for no reason.

I'm going to apply anyway and see what happens. Thanks.