Korean Job Discussion Forums

[craigmcc1982]

I have had a tentative job offer from a company in my particular field and wonder if it's possible to submit an E-7 visa application whilst I'm still employed on my current E-2?

My current visa will expire in 3 months and I will have been on the same visa for the past 5 years. I don't actually mind staying in my current job but the possibility of a real company job, is tempting.

My apostilled degree and medical checks are on file with immigration and I wonder if they would be counted as part of my application, or whether I would require new documents?

I'm hoping that ttompatz or someone else will be able to shed some light on the situation.

Thanks in advance for any replies!

[ttompatz]

With permission from your employer you may be able to simply to a change of status.

Also be aware that for an E7 the employer has more hoops to jump through than you do (they have to justify hiring a foreigner for the position and get confirmation from the MOEL).

Typically, if you have a Masters and 2 years of experience or a Bachelors and 5 years of experience in your field the transfer is pretty painless or at worst would require a visa run (previous employer not happy about you leaving early).

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[craigmcc1982]

Your reply is much appreciated.

I was hoping to use the extra month on my E-2 visa to perhaps gain a bit of an advantage as well as completing my current contract.

My visa will expire in early January and my contract completion date is in early December. With that in mind, if I were to apply for the E-7 now and perhaps wait a month for an answer, how long would I have to get the new visa based on the issuance number?

If I had a month or two, I could complete my current contract and then apply for the new visa and do a visa run using my outgoing airfare upon completion of the contact. Is this at all possible?

[ttompatz]

nope.

A transfer of status / sponsorship from one employer to the other, provided everything is in order, takes about 30 minutes.

If you want a new visa then there is essentially no difference between applying for an E7 and an E2 (documents may be different but the process is the same).

You can't start the process for a new visa while you have a valid status of sojourn.

That said, your employer can start the pre-employment paperwork (the stuff that needs to be done before it ever gets to immigration) any time.

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[jd99gst]

So you can simply change the status from E2/D10 to E7 without having to do a full visa run, provided the the employer has the additional requirements/permission met for providing an E7 visa?

[ttompatz]

[j500sut]

Sorry to hijack this discussion but what if you don't finish your current contract. i.e. you have an offer of a non teaching job, have to hand in your notice and have to apply for an E7. All following the terms of your contract like notice period etc. Would you require a letter of release to apply for the E7? Or would you have to do a visa run in this case?

Hope this makes sense.

[Zyzyfer]

I would assume you need a letter of release.