I am currently employed at an after school position however i am due to finish my contract within the next month. Before searching for jobs however there is a visa issue i need to ask some questions about.

When my current contract expires i will have been with the company for 8 months and three weeks. Apparently, according to present visa laws you have to have worked with the same company for 9 months before transferring your visa otherwise you have to get a new one. My current employers seem to think that with an explanatory note on my letter of release explaining that they are the ones closing the program and that it is not my fault, immigration will be just fine with me transferring after 8 months and three weeks. do you know if this is true? secondly they said that if i go to another after school program the 9 month rule doesnt apply anyway. is this true? Thirdly, from the date of your letter of release - how many days are you allowed before signing on with your new company? i.e. how many days are you allowed before the end date of your current contract (according to your letter of release) and the start date of your new one? - i heard it was 14 days max but my friend told me now only 10 days are allowed. is this true? do you know?

i would appreciate any help in this matter at this present time. cheers!

That is correct. Have a look at this site Legal South Korea

Since you have worked over three months it should be a simple matter of transferring the Visa to another school with Letter of Release when you go to immigration.

thanks mate! much appreciated.

I advise to go to the Seoul Immigration office and ask someone there point blank. I know it seems like a haul, but you can sign up for an appointment on line (I think its hiseoul.go.kr) and just get in for an hour. Ask your questions directly, and save yourself the guess work. Make sure to write donw the name of who helps you for the record.

I just got hit with a 450,000 fine, and had I checked in first, I could've totally avoided it.

Just make sure you aren't in violation of any immigration or tax laws before you go!!

good luck chuck

My bad gave you the wrong info above.

You can book an appointment at the immigration office and save yourself HOUSE of waiting by going here: Online Appointment for Visa.

The general website for info is www.HiKorea.go.kr. (Think I know where HiExpat got its name from now )

Also, spotted this visa info on line:

Visa

Any visitors who enter Korea needs to have a visa whether his/her purpose of entry is to work, travel or study. A visa is affixed to the passport. Those who fall under one of the special cases specified in the Immigration Law are exempt from visa requirements. However, having a visa does not necessarily mean anyone with a visa can enter the Republic of Korea. In Korea, a visa indicates a consul’s recommended action for a foreigner’s entry. Thus, during the entry inspection, if immigration officers find a foreigner does not meet the requirements of entry, the foreigner’s entry can be rejected at discretion.


Types of visas
● Single visa
only one entry is allowed within the term (Single visa is valid for three months from the date of issue)
● Multiple visa
an individual can enter the country two or more times within the term.

Visa types according to status of stay
● Diplomacy/Official Mission Status
Diplomacy (A-1), Official Mission (A-2), Agreements (A-3)
● Employment Visa
Temporary Employment (C-4), Professor (E-1), Foreign Language Teaching (E-2), Research (E- 3), Technological Guidance (E-4), Profession (E- 5), Arts/Entertainment (E-6), Specially Designated Activities (E-7), Non-professional Employment (E-9), Labor Aboard (E-10), Working Holiday (H-1)
● Non-profit & Short-term Stay Visa
Temporary Press Coverage (C-1), Temporary Business (C-2), Temporary Visiting(C-3)
● Long-term Stay Visa
Culture/Arts (D-1), Study (D-2), Industrial Training (D-3), General Training (D-4), Press Coverage (D-5), Religious Works (D-6), Intra- Company Transfer (D-7), Treaty Investment (D- 8), Treaty Trade (D-9), Visit & Stay with Family (F-1), Residency (F-2), Family Dependency (F-3), Overseas Koreans (F-4), Others (G-1)

Visa issuance procedure
● The Place of Visa Application & Issuance
The embassy or consulate of the Republic of Korea
● Exceptions to Visa Issuance
Prior to visa issuance from a consulate overseas, if necessary, the competent Immigration Office or its branch office (only Ulsan/ Donghae Branch) can conduct preliminary inspection on applications of a foreigner entering Korea and a domestic inviter and issue a certificate for recognition of visa issuance. After receiving the certificate for recognition of visa issuance, the individual can apply for a visa. Valid term of the certificate is 3 months.

Documents to Submit
- Passport
- Visa issuance application
- Required documents for each status of stay (The information is available on the Korea Immigration
- Servicewebsite:www.hikorea.go.kr[K,E])

● Visa Issuance Fee
- Single visa (90 days or less): amount(91 days ormore): amount equivalent to $50 equivalent to $30
- Multiple visa: amount equivalent to $80
- Passport

Visa-free entry

An individual who falls under one of the following conditions can enter the country without a visa
- An individual who is a national of a country with which the Republic of Korea has visa waiver agreements.
- Countries under visawaiver agreements
- Designated visa-free entry
- Frequent visitors
- Transit tourists bound for another country
- Japanese tourists
- Europe-bound Chinese transit tourists
- Those with special entry arrangements for Jeju island
- Re-entry permit holders
- APEC Business Travel Card holders
* Check applicable countries and free-entry qualifications on the following website:
www.hikorea.go.kr[K,E]


● Countries Exempt from Re-entry Permission
- An individual who is permitted to re-enter or exempted from permission for re-entry can enter Korea without a visa when he/she enters the country before the period of permission or exemption has expired.
- Suriname, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, France, Finland and Chile (Exemption for Chileans is limited to those with C-2, D-7 or D-8 status.)


All listed up on the Global Websites! So good luck chuck!