Korean Job Discussion Forums

[rakuan]

Sorry if this has been asked some place else. I couldn't find exactly what i was looking for. And since i didn't want to jack BlaisePascal's thread about studying and tourist visas, i just decided to make a new thread.

Anyway, i have an American friend who's now studying in Korea on a tourist visa. Apparantly his girlfriend is korean and he wants to stay here longer, studying at a Korean language Hagwon. He says that immigration won't give out visas for studying at Hagwons.

So the question: he asked me how many times one can leave and return on a 5 year tourist visa before immigration gets pissed and blocks you from coming back?

I told him that i didn't have the answer, but i knew somewhere that i could ask. Thanks in advance.

[Pyongshin Sangja]

On one of those 5 years, as many as he wants. How did he get it?

[rakuan]

hmmm.... i think i remember him saying that he went to the Consulate in his hometown and paid for it. Not exactly sure when he got it, but it must have been pretty recently, as he's only left the country once on it, and since he said that last year he was on an E-2, but it ended when he finished his contract.

[lastat06513]

As many times as he wishes....
The difference between having a C3 visa for Americans and an entry stamp for Canadians is that an American can come back and forth with no red flags being raised, the visa shows a valid reason for being in the country.
While although a Canadian can get an entry-stmap for 6 months on end, after a certain amount of time, some questions can be raised.
I have even heard of Canucks getting denied E2 visas for the simple fact that they have too many entry stamps in their visa (shows immigration that they might've been working "under the table" somewhere).

If you want some tips, pm me...I'll give you some pointers....

[Ginormousaurus]

Are you sure he has a 5 year tourist visa? I wasn't aware that one even exists. If they do exist, how does one qualify for it?

[rakuan]

Yeah. I asked him about it again, and i looked at his passport today.
He definitely has a 90 day multiple entry visa with the issue date of being in 2006 and the "final entry date" set in 2011. But he was just wondering if, like you said about the situation with Canadians, they would get suspicious and think he's working and refuse to let him back in.

I think i will PM you about that stuff. My friend doesn't use Dave's and doesn't seem to have too much interest in internet message boards. (And this seems like good random info to keep in mind, just in case, for the future anyway, so thanks! )

[RACETRAITOR]

Another American I knew had some sort of five-year visa like that. He had to re-enter every three months which was a huge pain though.

Canadians can do it indefinitely. I know someone who's been here around a decade on a tourist visa.

[OiGirl]

Americans can apply for a C-3 visa (much like you apply for an E-2, just don't need documents from an employer.) It is good for five years, and you can stay for three months at a time. It is different from the visa-free entry you can get on arrival.