Korean Job Discussion Forums

[poweredpark]

Hi, there
I've been trying to apply for my F4 visa here in Canada and the documents they require are

Me:
passport
birth certificate (large one; proof of live birth)
2 passport photos

My parents (both apparently):
proof of korean decent (ho jeuk)
canadian citizenship card

as well as the application form and 65 dollars.

So my problem is basically that my dad's citizenship card was lost and it take about a month to get one
and my mom doesn't have a ho jeuk lying around. My flight is leaving quite soon and I'm probably going to have to get a tourist visa then apply for my F4 in Korea.

Does anyone know the process ?
and also is there a number i can call the seoul immigration office at?

[pkang0202]

Eh, I didn't have a birth certificate, nor did I have the ho jeuk.

You will need proof of citizenship of your parents, whether it be a copy of the card or certificate. Also, get your parent's Korean Resident Number, if you have that, the immigraiton can look it up and match up the data from the Canadian citizenship card to their database. Names, birth dates, match up then you should be fine.

I took with me:

My US citizenship certificate, copies of my parents US citizenship certificates, my passport, copies of my parent's passport, a few photos, and a Korean relative who called around and did most of the talking.

The best thing to do is come here on a tourist and get your F-4 while you are here. Make sure you bring originals of all of YOUR documents. Copies are acceptable for documents of your parents. You can have your parents fax or mail copies after you get to Korea.

some other things you might want to bring are:

High school diploma
College diploma
at least 4 or 5 college transcripts, sealed and official
A couple copies of your police report/record, notarized.

koreans are very strict with documents. Also, bring a driver's license. Once you get your F-4, you can go to a Korean Licensing center and trade your Driver's license for a Korean one.

[poweredpark]

interesting

So I would just go to the immigration office in Seoul with all those documents? It'll probably be hard to get the resident numbers since my parents have been in Canada for the past 30+ years or so and really don't have many ties back in Korea.

But I have university transcripts but no high school diplomas... I probably lost that thing years ago.

and one more thing

With the F4 visa how does leaving and re-entry work? do I have to reapply for the visa everytime I come back?

[pkang0202]

F-4 lets you come and go as you please. only stipulation being you have to renew it once every 2 years.


Just to warn you now, its gonna be a massive headache getting the F4. You are gonna go to the immigration office and they are gonna tell you that you need this or that.

If you have no high school diploma then I would call your high school and ask for an official copy of your school record, making sure its notarized.

Trust me, you want as much information about you and your family before you leave the US. It'll be a LOT harder to get these documents when you are in Korea.

I can't stress enough that everything you have needs to be official (either have a seal, and/or notarization).

[d-rail]

im sorry to change the subject here, but i have tried to sift through the existing threads looking for the answer to this question, and if i made a new thread on this topic people would jump on me for it. but, here is the question: what are the qualifications to get an F visa? korean parents? what if one is married to a korean? is that enough? and, what are the differences between the different F visas (F2, F4, F...)? again, sorry to do that thing, what do they call it...hijack a thread or something, but it seems like the origional question has been answered.
thanks.

[jinju]

[pkang0202]

F-4 is basically a Permanent Resident Alien status. You have to renew it every 2 years and it lets you do everything except work hazardous jobs like construction. Good thing about F-4 is you don't have to leave the country to renew.

[Mary-Jane]

I have only one Korean parent, and was born and raised in a foreign country. I was still eligible for the F4 visa- too bad I didn't realise it before I set off as it would have made planning when to come to Korea much more straightforward.

It was a headache getting the visa. Immigration insisted on authentic, reliable proof of my mother's changed nationality. We didn't have documents showing her change of nationality so they kept telling me she would have to go to the Korean embassy back home.

[jvalmer]

I got this from a friend.

Prices may have changed. Also, do this either in Seoul or Gyeonggi province. Which means you will need to use an address from Seoul or Gyeonggi. Applying for this in other provinces is a bigger hassle, because the civil servants seem very unfamiliar with the F-4 visa. If you move, then go to your local immigration office and inform them of your new address.

The F-4 visa is given to overseas Koreans who are direct descendants of S. Korean citizens. However, the Immigration Office specifically says that in order for the applicant to quality, he or his parents must renounce S. Korean citizenship to be considered an overseas Korean. While countries like America says that one cannot maintain dual citizenship, on the S. Korean perspective if the Korean records say he/she or his/her parents are still considered Korean, then the visa cannot be issued. So, first you have to get one of your parents to renounce his/her Korean citizenship. Thankfully, you can do it on their behalf at the Immigration Office. Then, when that's settled with, you can apply for the F4 visa.

So here's my instructions....

1. Prepare the following documents:

A) 2 of your parents' family registry (호적등본)

B) 2 photocopies of your US birth certificate (which must have both your parents names as well as your own)

C) 2 photocopies of your parent's foreign citizenship/naturalization papers (only need one parent)

D) 2 photocopies of parent's passports (also only one parent)

E) 2 of your passport photos

F) your actual passport

G) 61,000 won (may have changed)

[*- While I mentioned it's necessary to get both 호적's, two copies of one parent is needed, and one copy of the other parent is needed. This is because one parent must officially renounce their Korean citizenship, and that requires a 호적. The second copy of the 호적 is for the visa application process. The other parent's 호적 is also required for the visa application.]

Basically, get 2 copies of every document, since half of them will be used for revoking one of your parent's S. Korean citizenship.

Except for the 호적 (family registry), preparing these all of these documents are quite easy: You can have them faxed to you, or sent by snail mail, or even scanned and sent over via email. If printing out via email, remember to print them in the appropriate size! Interestingly, the Immigration Office doesn't require notarization to prove that these documents are legitimate, so as long as the documents are printed in the appropriate size, it should be acceptable. Passport pictures should be easy to obtain. You can even get them in several subway stations where they have quick photobooths. The last time I heard, they only cost 5000, and gives something like 12 pictures. Unfortunately the pictures don't come out nicely it seems.

The 호적 can be obtained at any 동사무소. It's quite convenient. To get your mom and dad's 호적 (family registry), you need to know their 'permanent domicile' (본적, which is some kind of permanent address), as well as the name of the head of the family (호주). Also, their old Resident Registration Number (주민등록번호) is helpful. I know of two ways to obtain the 호적:

Option 1: If you have close relatives in Korea who are tied into the famiy line, then he or she can easily get your mom or dad's hojuk with no problem.

Option 2: If you don't have any direct relatives in S. Korea, nor were you born in S. Korea, the civil servants need evidence that you are really a descendant of a S. Korean, so you will have to provide some documentation (like a copy of your mom/dad's passport, a copy of their foreign citizenship papers, or your birth certificate copy which proves your legitimacy). If you are on the 호적 then it's real easy to obtain, just show them any US document that proves that you are the same as the person on the 호적. Each official 호적 is quite cheap (600 won I think).

If your parents were married in S. Korea, then both of them will appear on the same 호적. In my case, my parents were married in America, and so I was born in the States. Thus, I was not on the family registry. In fact the Korean records show that my mom and dad are still considered single. So my dad was under my grandfather's name. Likewise, my mom was on my other grandfather's name. So I needed both my grandfather's 본적. Thankfully, my parents knew theirs, and I managed to obtain the documents.

Keep in mind that the requirements for the F-4 visa are different depending on whether you were born outside of Korea, including whether your parents were married in the States or not. For those born in S. Korea, then it's probable that one would be on the family registry (i.e. 호적등본). Additionally, the requirements are different for Korean adoptees. Unfortunately, I don't know the details of how they can obtain the appropriate documents.

2. Other necessary documents which can later be acquired at the Immigration Office:

A) Korean nationality renunciation report (국적상실신고서) or Lost Nationality Certificate

B) Domestic Residence Report of Foreign National Korean (외국국적동포국내거소신고서),

C) Ministry of Justic form (법무부)

3. Go to an Immigration Office (출입국관리사무소).

4. The first thing you will have to do is revoke your father's or mother's Korean nationality. I'd recommend revoking your father's Korean nationality. To do that, you need to submit the following:

A) Korean nationality renunciation report (국적상실신고서)

B) 1000 won revenue stamp

C) 1 photocopy of your parent's passport

D) 1 photocopy of your parent's foreign citizenship/naturalization papers

E) 1 photocopy of your passport

F) 1 real copy of your parent's 호적등본

Here's how you can do obtain the first two. Look for this document: 국적상실신고서 (Korean nationality renunciation report), and fill out the form. I'd recommend bringing a Korean friend to figure out what the from says. It took me forever to figure out all the technical details using an electronic dictionary. In fact the civil servant ended up rewriting the entire document because of all the mistakes I made.

5. Buy some revenue stamps (apparently they moved the revenue stamp counter to the basement). Purchase a 1000 won stamp, and six 10,000 won stamps (which are later needed for the visa application)

6. Wait till your number is called. Give the civil servant all that I listed above.

After a few minutes, he'll call your father's (or mother's) name and he will give you a document which says, "국적상실신고사실 증명서" (it roughly translates as Factual Korean Nationality Renunciation Cerfiticate). You will need that document to validate your father's non-Korean status when applying for the visa.

7. Once you receive the certificate, go to Visa Issuance. One of the official workers gave me only one form (which was wrong!) when I told them I was applying for the F-4 visa. It's very frustrating. So, look for these forms:

A) Domestic Residence Report of Foreign National Korean (외국국적동포국내거소신고서)

B) Ministry of Justic form (법무부)

Fortunately the forms are in English and Korean, so it's relatively easy to fill out the forms appropriately. Pick a number, which is appropriate for Overseas (Foreign Nationals) Koreans, and the counter you will approach should be number seven. Submit all the rest of your documents to the civil servant, including your actual passport, and your passport photos (one will be attached to the Domestic Residence Report of Foreign National Korean (외국국적동포국내거소신고서). He will give you the following document: 거소신고접수증 (Receipt of Residence Report)

You will need that to claim your passport when you come back to pick it up in about a week. I'd recommend making a photocopy of it. For your convenience, there's a photocopy machine in the basement floor and each copy is 100 won.

[poweredpark]

thanks again jvalmer

So I pretty much have all those documents photocopied. But in this case I'll only have my mothers Korean nationality renunciation report which I did in Toronto. My Dad's Korean nationality renunciation report couldn't be filled out since the Consulate in Toronto requires a citizenship card and can't use a citizenship certificate (One's a certificate and the other is wallet size -_-).

So I have an update ho jeuk and my mom and my dad are in it, since they got married in Korea. But I will only have my mom's renunciation report. Is that enough for immigration?

again thanks for the help

[poweredpark]

Got it..
well applied for it and picking it up this friday
..

If anyone else needs help to pick up an F4 visa for Canadians. Let me know.. Its really not much different, except certain documents.

plus they changed the visa office a little.

photocopy on second floor and watch out for the CHURCH OF GOD!!!!

thanks again guys