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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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Derrek
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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 Posted: Sun May 01, 2005 3:48 am Post subject: Should be a sticky: 2nd yr E-2 not mult-entry for Americans |
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I just found this out the hard way....
My original E-2 visa was multiple-entry. I could come and go from Korea as I pleased, without having to pay 30,000 won at immigration and get an exit visa stamp, which others from other countries must do.
Well, I am on my 2nd year at my school, and on my way to Thailand, I was stopped by immigration, and told I didn't have the exit permit. They informed me that the original E-2 allows multiple-entry, but if you stay with a school, it is merely treated as an extention (not a new E-2), and you must go to the office and pay for the permit (30,000) every time you leave Korea. So that little date stamp on the back of your E-2, if you stay a 2nd year or longer at a school, doesn't necessarily afford you the same privs.
First time I'd heard of it.
I was in a pissy mood, and really let the immigration people have it, because I had already changed all but 17,000 won to Thai baht. I made them escort me to the exchange counter to get the money they needed. I was so ticked off (too much, really) because they made it sound like I wouldn't be going to Thailand today since I didn't have the permit. I sort of laid into them about how angry foreigners are about the ajosshis on immigration floor #2 bribing the schools, etc. Yeah, I went too far and stuff, but I had about no sleep last night. Probably not the smartest thing to do, but it felt good. I basically don't trust the Korean immigration people at all.
I wish there was some book about all of these "rules" that seem to pop up unnanounced. The sign at immigration which hangs on the wall says that Americans are excluded from paying the exit fee -- unless they've updated the sign since I was there last summer.
They let me pay there, and gave me the stamp, but said they wouldn't allow that again. |
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crazylemongirl
Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Location: almost there...
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| Posted: Sun May 01, 2005 4:32 am Post subject: |
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| yeah that's something that they don't tell you when you renew your visa. Just an extra to sqeeze some extra money out of you. |
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Homer
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| Posted: Sun May 01, 2005 4:35 am Post subject: |
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A government sqeezing money out of people any way it can?
Nooooo this is not possible. It simply cannot be. 
It still sucks though...sorry to hear about that Derrek. |
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JacktheCat
Joined: 08 May 2004
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| Posted: Sun May 01, 2005 4:35 am Post subject: |
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Yep, the multi re-entry stamp is good for only one year and can't be extended like your E2 can.
You're lucky you caught immigration in a good mood. If they feel like it, immigration can seriously screw up your day.
My attitude with representives of the man is "Yes, Sir" and "Is there a fee (hint hint) I can pay to correct this problem?"
Last edited by JacktheCat on Sun May 01, 2005 6:38 am; edited 1 time in total |
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hogwonguy1979
Joined: 22 Dec 2003
Location: the racoon den
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| Posted: Sun May 01, 2005 4:38 am Post subject: |
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figured that one out the first time I renewed my visa.
Its also been posted a ton of times here about what you need to do when you renew your visa and thats a biggie
some people need to get with the program and not complain, this is not a new policy, its been in effect for at least 10 years |
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Real Reality
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun May 01, 2005 5:58 am Post subject: |
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| hogwonguy1979 wrote: |
| figured that one out the first time I renewed my visa. Its also been posted a ton of times here about what you need to do when you renew your visa and thats a biggie some people need to get with the program and not complain, this is not a new policy, its been in effect for at least 10 years |
posted a ton of times
Foreigners Experience Difficulties in Living in Korea
"Even though Korea has achieved some degree of globalization in going abroad, it has still a long way to go for globalization in embracing foreigners inward," said foreigners residing in Korea.
An official in the International Cooperation Division of Seoul City admitted, "The same complaints regarding visas, transportation, education, and environment are raised every year without being solved, due to the lack of cooperation from government agencies involved and their passive attitudes."
by Jae-Dong Yu and Soo-Jung Shin, Donga.com (July 4, 2004)
http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?biid=2004070522448 |
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desultude
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Location: Dangling my toes in the Persian Gulf
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| Posted: Sun May 01, 2005 6:08 am Post subject: |
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You renew your visa, you get a new multi entry. It says that it is good for a year. The date is clearly stamped on mine- it expired at the end of a year.
So, don't you think the same thing applies to foriegn aliens in the U.S., or other countries? Read your documents. It is clear and in black and white. Why blame immigration for your mistake/  |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Sun May 01, 2005 6:21 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| I wish there was some book about all of these "rules" that seem to pop up unnanounced. |
More than the isolation, more than the communication hassles, more than the lack of certain favorite foods, the thing I found most frustrating about living in Korea was the lack of information--or the difficulty in finding basic information.
The OP is right. There should be a manual. There are many situations where we don't have the information to even ask the right question.
There is nothing less helpful than someone saying, "Well I knew about it. You should too." |
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desultude
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Location: Dangling my toes in the Persian Gulf
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| Posted: Sun May 01, 2005 6:26 am Post subject: |
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IT SAYS RIGHT ON THE VISA THAT IT IS GOOD FOR ONE YEAR.
Sorry, yes there are things that are confusing. This is NOT one of them! |
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kangnamdragon
Joined: 17 Jan 2003
Location: Kangnam, Seoul, Korea
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| Posted: Sun May 01, 2005 6:29 am Post subject: |
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| The initial visa costs more than the renewal for the E-2. Just get a new multi-entry permit when you renew your E-2. You don't have to get one every time you leave the country. You can renew the permit. There is a sign right there in the immigration office. |
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Derrek
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sun May 01, 2005 10:18 pm Post subject: |
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| desultude wrote: |
You renew your visa, you get a new multi entry. It says that it is good for a year. The date is clearly stamped on mine- it expired at the end of a year.
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Kangnamdragon,
Yeah, right... what sign? The sign I saw wasn't dealing with this specific situation. This wasn't obvious. Show me a photo of this "sign", and i'll believe you. Also, my employer renewed it this time, so if some sign has magically appeared in the last few months since I've been there, I wasn't there to see it.
As for deadselltoot..
I think you're confused here. My original E-2 said that also, HOWEVER the issue here is that my employer extended my E-2 for another year. I thought that this would give me the same rights as if simply got another E-2. THAT IS NOT clearly marked anywhere. How are we to know that other rules change? Show me a stamp on there which clearly states, 'If you extend this Visa, you will lose multiple-entry opportunity" or something like that, and then I'll believe you.
This is not a new E-2, according to immigration. It is an extension of an E-2. This information was not marked anywhere for me to see, nor was I told about it. How would one know the difference?
And for hagwonguy -- why don't you get with the program and figure out that not everyone goes through the same stuff or reads every single post on this board to find this out. I've been on this board for over 4 years, read many of the posts, and this is the first time i've encountered this specific situation pertaining to Americans, or I would have remembered it.
The point of this post, and others on here agree with me, is that rules may be applied to us, but there is not easy way to figure them out until they hit you... I was never given a "manual" where this is explained, and didn't run across this in their website. It's all well and fine to say, "it's your responsibility to find out" but that's hard to do when we have no manual or updated (key word=updated) website to search and learn every question on. It's crap enough to make a 2 to 3 hour trek to the immigration office and back outside of my regular working hours -- and that's even when I KNOW what I'm supposed to ask them.
A person can live here for years and not know everything. Also, if rules change, how are we to find out about it until we go through a situation like this?
Go troll elsewhere. |
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Dawn
Joined: 06 Mar 2004
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| Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 5:12 am Post subject: |
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| Found out today that getting a re-entry permit isn't as easy as it used to be. Last year, it was a matter of fill out the forms and pay the fee. Today, I was informed that my employer has to supply immigration with an official letter that basically acknowledges (1) she's aware of my plans to be out of the country, (2) she approves of them, and (3) I will still have a job when I return. Whether I can get a multiple entry stamp even with the letter remains to be seen. |
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crazylemongirl
Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Location: almost there...
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| Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 6:29 am Post subject: |
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| Dawn wrote: |
| Found out today that getting a re-entry permit isn't as easy as it used to be. Last year, it was a matter of fill out the forms and pay the fee. Today, I was informed that my employer has to supply immigration with an official letter that basically acknowledges (1) she's aware of my plans to be out of the country, (2) she approves of them, and (3) I will still have a job when I return. Whether I can get a multiple entry stamp even with the letter remains to be seen. |
Jeeze!  Talk about being slaved to the job. I understand paying but this is ridculous! I'm glad I got my re-entry permit when i renewed my visa!
Which immigration office is this at? |
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Dawn
Joined: 06 Mar 2004
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| Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 6:42 am Post subject: |
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| crazylemongirl wrote: |
| Which immigration office is this at? |
Uijongbu ... Thankfully, I've got a great boss who took time today to call immigration, find out exactly what they wanted, and fix me up with the required documents. Still, it came as a suprise to find out that I needed my boss's permission to go visit my mother. |
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crazylemongirl
Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Location: almost there...
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| Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 7:01 am Post subject: |
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| Dawn wrote: |
Uijongbu ... Thankfully, I've got a great boss who took time today to call immigration, find out exactly what they wanted, and fix me up with the required documents. Still, it came as a suprise to find out that I needed my boss's permission to go visit my mother. |
Yes, totally disgracefull. I'm glad I got my re-entry permit when I renewed my visa.
Teaching in Korea is becoming more and more like a jail term. |
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