Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Derrek]

Any Americans on here who have tried to get their Korean girlfriend a Tourist Visa so they can come visit home with them in the USA?

I've been dating someone I would consider that possibility with, if we are still dating next summer.

I do realize this depends a lot on her job, age, family, etc.

She's 25 Korean age, from Young-In, has worked at the same import-export job for 3 years and makes about 1.8 a month because they're successful. She has a high school education (no college). She lives with her family. She has some savings, but not a whole lot (I didn't ask how much). Her family isn't hurting for money.

Is the visa thing a possibility?

[peemil]

Didn't you just post that she is a nut job?

[Derrek]

No??

[Pyongshin Sangja]

Fingerprinting, long lines and increase in fees frustrate travelers to America

An increasing number of Koreans say they are discouraged from traveling to the United States now that new visa requirements have taken effect.

Travel agencies reported that business has slumped since last month when the United States began requiring all applicants to be fingerprinted and all persons aged between 14 and 80 to be interviewed by an official at the embassy.

The New York Times reported that U.S. businesses are feeling the pinch too, of tough new visa regulations introduced worldwide. Their employees and clients from abroad have difficulty getting travel and work visas, and the process of doing business has slowed to a steady crawl, costing them about $28 billion between July 2002 and March 2004.

Traveling to America has always been uncomfortable for many Koreans who must undergo selective screening and wait several weeks for the process to be completed.

Other factors seen as annoyances include the fee, $100, which is higher than any other country charges for visa.

Then, there is a 12,000-won ($10) fee to use the online appointment system. Travel agencies assist many people with the online application because it must be filled out in English, including a few paragraphs explaining the intent of the visit.

The driving force behind the mandatory interviews and fingerprint scans is an effort to increase security after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, U.S. officials said.

Also on Aug. 1, a new policy went into effect here to deny waivers for the interviews. Previously, college students enrolled at specific schools could bypass the interviews under the University Referral Program.

College graduate Lee Jin-soo feels the new policies are an insult. "If the American government does not want to accept Koreans, then Koreans will go to other places," she said.

A sore point for her is that citizens from countries such as Britain, Japan and Germany are off the hook since they are not required to get visas - unlike citizens from South Korea, a major ally of the United States, .

"They assume that we are criminals," said Lee.

The explanation that the fingerprint scan requirement is a worldwide policy has fallen on deaf ears here.

The delays being encountered by Koreans is particularly touchy at a time when the long-standing U.S.-Korean alliance is showing signs of strains following an increase in anti-American sentiment among younger Koreans and U.S. plans to withdraw some of its troops from the country.

Koreans are confused why their country is under suspicion if none of the terrorists related to al-Qaida or other militant organizations have Korean nationalities.

A Korean woman married to a Pakistani who now has Korean citizenship suspects the new policies are aimed at people like her husband.

As a trader of machinery, he travels to the United States often and he says that on a recent visit he was detained for 12 hours at an airport and fingerprinted before he was allowed to enter.

Nam Sung-ho, a Web site designer, said the increased measures are not aimed at nabbing terrorists, but aiding officials to help catch people who may be want to get a visa and staying on illegally.

An embassy spokesman said that by law consular officers must determine if the applicant has compelling reasons to return to Korea after their visit. Questions during the interview are aimed at helping this assessment.

One Korean who wished not to be identified, was told by her travel agent that she had a good chance of getting a visa if her salary was 3 million won per month and she had been with the same employer for at least two years.

Students and recent graduates have a good chance if their parents have savings of 30 million won, or more.

"Each case is handled individually. There are no quotas or other set criteria," said the spokesman, adding that the embassy looks at all related factors, not just financial ties.

From October 2002 to September 2003, the fiscal year of the U.S. embassy in Seoul, most applicants received visas. Records show that 397,000 out of about 419,000 non-immigrants were granted permits.

"But due to the long waits and the fear that they may get rejected, I think some Koreans are discouraged from applying," said Lee, referring to the new rules.

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2004/09/18/200409180032.asp

[Derrek]

I went to the embassy with a friend a year ago. She was hoping to get a Visa to the USA to go visit him. She wasn't Korean though.

The same rules were in effect then: $100 fee, interview, etc.

Is it supposed to be something new?

[Derrek]

[funplanet]

one of the reasons Koreans need visas and Japanese don't....the Korean percentage rate of overstaying their visas is more than the 2% or 3%(foreget which)required to join the visa-waiver club...the Japanese simply follow the rules...the Koreans don't