Korean Job Discussion Forums

Hyeon Een · Joined: 24 Jun 2005

My E2 visa officially expires sometime in early september. I want to start a new job in August. Is it specifically when I'm applying for a new job that I need the Letter of Release, or can I be released before I apply for a new job - ie can my old boss go over to immigration now with a L of R and have everything cancelled, so that I won't have any problems in a month or so when I'm applying for a new job?

The reason I've left before my E2 ends is because I was working illegally for the first 3 months, because my boss was a bit cheap with tickets to Japan etc.. was waiting until he found a nice cheap one haha. I was reasonably happy as it gave me a coupla months to check the place out without having the hassle of being tied down with a visa if there were any problems.

Excitingly we were busted by immigration, and my boss ended up getting a big fine. I might have got one, but if I did my boss paid for it. As a bonus I also got an extra coupla days in Japan because they refused to issue the visa papers until I'd left the country. Then my boss came over to Japan to hand-deliver them to me. All in all being busted by immigration was cool. I think in the current crackdown climate things might not have gone so well though. Also my boss claimed to have contacts in immigration (but then again, doesn't EVERY hagwan boss claim this?)

-HE

ilovebdt · Joined: 03 Jun 2005 Location: Nr Seoul

Hyeon Een · Joined: 24 Jun 2005

dg611 · Joined: 11 Jun 2004

If your current boss is willing to give you a letter of release then your contract ends on the date that you are "released" (the date on the LOR). If you have all the papers for the new job that starts before your old one is finished..you bring them alltogether with the LOR to immigration and you should have no problem. If your old boss will not give you a LOR for the earlier date...then you will have a problem with immigration...so make sure the LOR date is before the beginning of the new job.

good luck
FYI...for future reference on questions like these...see [url]www.EFL-law.org [/url]there is a board there that is loaded with information of this type.