tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357026555577605135.post4300351793112834972..comments2023-10-11T05:10:59.975-07:00Comments on kimchi-icecream: South Korea E2 Visa -- frustrations getting my criminal background check (the sensitive position one) and notarized degree stamped to send to Korea...Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14403839433187045342noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357026555577605135.post-86977012428480125322010-09-11T18:33:06.700-07:002010-09-11T18:33:06.700-07:00For your US readers, you can get a document notari...For your US readers, you can get a document notarized for free at your bank.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357026555577605135.post-8396652554007010012010-09-11T18:31:58.222-07:002010-09-11T18:31:58.222-07:00I wish I had read this before I started my E2 visa...I wish I had read this before I started my E2 visa process. Even when you dot the i's and cross the t's, I've had lots of problems. I've written about them on my blog. I am still waiting for my visa and hope it comes because my reservation is Tuesday. <br /><br />This post is a great public service. <br /><br />I regret turning down job offers in other countries and having to jump through so many hoops to prove that I haven't committed any crimes in a country I haven't lived in for 10 years.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357026555577605135.post-7314122884286469492009-08-15T18:12:27.260-07:002009-08-15T18:12:27.260-07:00Hi John,
Thanks for the advice.
Hope you'r...Hi John,<br /><br />Thanks for the advice. <br /><br />Hope you're having a good weekend.<br />JJasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14403839433187045342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357026555577605135.post-48949376717684891082009-08-15T16:47:10.144-07:002009-08-15T16:47:10.144-07:00(For Jenny and those re-signing with the same scho...(For Jenny and those re-signing with the same school) Re-entry permits are needed to go home for a short time at the end of one's contract in order to return back to South Korea without going through the whole drawn-out visa process again as long as you are working for the same employer and haven't left the country for an extended period of time during your stay under your E2 visa. You can get either a single or multiple entry permit as long as you have a signed contract with the same school. You can find the information on the South Korean immigration website under re-entry.<br /><br />Here in Daejeon, I've never even had to go to the immigration office as my boss has just taken my pasport, my ARC, and my contract and renewed them for me without any problems. He even pays for the permit. It's not only the re-entry permit that you need to re-enter South Korea legally, but equally important is that you have had your ARC extended as well.John from Daejeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08431973044799010218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357026555577605135.post-78431940183979860972009-08-14T14:42:38.761-07:002009-08-14T14:42:38.761-07:00Hi Jenny,
I think you need to call the Seoul Immi...Hi Jenny,<br /><br />I think you need to call the Seoul Immigration office and ask them your questions. That, or email/call your co-teacher or someone at your school to make the call for you. <br /><br />I hesitate to give you advice on this because Korean immigration offices do not follow a national policy (at least in practice anyways) nor do they seem to have standardized practices from region to region . . . what I did out in Chuncheon, Gangwon province may not be what they expect in the Seoul immigration office--if I give you the wrong advice I'd just be making things worse for you.<br /><br />I will say this--people renewing their E2 visas with the SAME employer seem to have a different set of things they have to do for the immigration office IN Korea. <br /><br />The safest thing to do is get your co-teacher to call immigration and find out what you need to do. If there are documents you need to get from inside Canada (like the sensitive positions criminal check) then you're lucky you're here and can do so. <br /><br />Anyways, here are two old posts about what I had to do when I was renewing with the SAME employer and renewing that visa--but again, bear in mind that this was NOT in Seoul, it was NOT with SMOE either, and this was back in 2008--things seem to change pretty often with what immigration wants us to do . . .<br /><br />Good luck,<br />J<br />p.s. Check when your alien registration card expires cause you might have problems with that when you try to go back to Korea if you don't have a renewed visa . . . . <br /><br />http://kimchi-icecream.blogspot.com/2009/01/canadian-renewing-his-e2-visa-2nd.html<br /><br />http://kimchi-icecream.blogspot.com/2009/01/wait-second-you-can-get-2-year-e2-visa.htmlJasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14403839433187045342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357026555577605135.post-60120150932621840242009-08-14T12:26:54.808-07:002009-08-14T12:26:54.808-07:00Hi Jason,
I typed 'renewing E2 visa in Toront...Hi Jason,<br /><br />I typed 'renewing E2 visa in Toronto' on google and your blog popped up. I actually have a question about E2 visa renewal and am hoping you can answer my question. First off, I'm in Toronto (yay^^). I've been back for a week already and have 2 more weeks left. Is it true that I have to do everything all over again like a first timer to Korea? you know, getting CRC, notarized diploma, transcripts, etc... In case you're wondering, I'm sticking with the same employer (SMOE), but I left the original copy of my contract in Korea. :( I'm really confused... and the clerks at the Korean consulate aren't really that helpful. <br /><br />Since you've been teaching in Korea for a number of years, I'm hoping you can guide me in the process of renewing my E2 visa.<br /><br />I hope to hear from you, and thanks for reading!Jennynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357026555577605135.post-37676958106032466832009-08-08T18:38:29.665-07:002009-08-08T18:38:29.665-07:00My main 'beef' with the Korean consulate i...My main 'beef' with the Korean consulate in Texas is their awesome working hours and the two sets of holidays that they get that can definitely be confusing to those of us not expecting the consulate to close several times a year and then for days at a time in either Sept. or Oct. and then again in late Jan. or Feb. Unlike the small size of South Korea, the distances that one must travel in North America from the hinterlands can make the process of obtaining a visa pretty difficult. It takes me about ten hours to get there one way.John from Daejeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08431973044799010218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357026555577605135.post-88263762242000539522009-08-08T10:14:15.607-07:002009-08-08T10:14:15.607-07:00Kushibo,
FUNNY!!!!
JKushibo,<br /><br />FUNNY!!!!<br /><br />JJasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14403839433187045342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357026555577605135.post-33215307397174480132009-08-08T10:06:38.561-07:002009-08-08T10:06:38.561-07:00After my dad got his Tim Horton's coffee we he...<b>After my dad got his Tim Horton's coffee we headed out to the highway . . .</b> <br /><br />Damn! For a moment there I thought you had a drive-thru Korean consulate.kushibohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10306033998028548550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357026555577605135.post-976840316389094152009-08-08T09:21:02.186-07:002009-08-08T09:21:02.186-07:00Hi AT,
I think I take myself to task pretty harsh...Hi AT,<br /><br />I think I take myself to task pretty harshly for not reading the instructions on the embassy website--I call myself stupid a couple times, etc.<br /><br />However, in my defense if you look at the consulate website and don't know that "Affixation of Consular Seals" is about getting stuff 'stamped' which is what I thought I was looking for . . . it's fairly easy to not click on that separate tab. I read the tab for "Visa Guideline" and saw NOTHING about the first initial step under this tab. I thought I'd read everything I needed to, and felt that I'd done every reasonable effort to prepare. <br /><br />I tried to call the embassy to check what I thought I needed to bring--and left a voice mail message which was NEVER returned. Perhaps I should have included this in my story . . . <br /><br />I don't believe in hiding my mistakes and think that I can learn from them and perhaps help other people avoid making the same mistakes. If what the lawyer said is any indication it seems that a fair number of applicants are doing what I did too. If this is the case then perhaps some reforms by the consulate and on the website are in order, no?<br /><br />I don't think I was overly critical of the consulate in general or the staff. In fact I think I praised the clerk for her sympathetic attitude and for acknowledging the problem.<br /><br />My biggest issue is with the notarization of the criminal check when it's already been validated by a government body: the police. This is the thing that confuses me the most because, as the lawyer also thought, if the party that wants this notarization actually took the time to learn about how criminal checks are validated in Canada they wouldn't have to ask applicants to pay more and do more paper work to make up for their lack of competence . . . <br /><br />Anyways, I wrote about what happened according to my experience in an honest way that shows I made some mistakes and should have looked a little harder for info on how to do things--but I KNOW I'm not the only one who has done this. <br /><br />Describing how I screwed up will hopefully help others avoid doing the same thing--in the end that is what I'm hoping for.<br /><br />Thanks for writing your comment--it helped point out a few things that I should have written about more clearly.<br /><br />JJasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14403839433187045342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357026555577605135.post-49439785331318740242009-08-08T08:21:05.023-07:002009-08-08T08:21:05.023-07:00I did the whole process 8 months ago and I agree t...I did the whole process 8 months ago and I agree that it seems like overkill but I think you're being a bit unfair to the employees at the consulate office. I realize that you revised your post but the website is very clear about the requirements, it's not their fault that you didn't read them properly. Plus, they don't make the immigration rules, and the notarization requirements are the same at every Korean embassy. You're complaining to people who do mindless paperwork all day that their immigration process is flawed... <br /><br />The notarization process is to ensure that a second pair of (qualified, I guess?) eyes has confirmed that the paperwork is a true copy of the original - this is standard for any immigration process for any country in the world.<br /><br />The photocopy of the passport? Not sure what's confusing about that, they need photo ID to put into your file.<br /><br />Transcript is to confirm that you actually graduated from the school that your degree claims that you did. All they're really looking for is that 'degree conferred' line.<br /><br />For future reference, there are a dozen immigration lawyers on and around St. Clair near the embassies who offer walk-in notarization services for $20-$30, they're all listed online.<br /><br />Not trying to be condescending, just trying to explain that the process really isn't that difficult if you read all the information that's provided. Hope the second trip to the embassy is better!Alex Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04769703156952090450noreply@blogger.com