Oct 8, 2010
Dear NETs,
Korea Immigration Service has new requirements for obtaining E-2 Visas. When time comes for you to extend your E-2 Visa or change the status of sojourn, these new requirements will be applied to you. We talked to Korea Immigration Service and below is the information we obtained from them. Please read it very carefully since the verification method is different between diploma and the Criminal Record Check.
More information can be found on this link:
http://www.hikorea.go.kr/pt/NtcCotnDetailR_en.pt?bbsGbCd=BS10&bbsSeq=2&langCd=EN&ntccttSeq=32
Diploma
All native teachers extending their E-2 Visa after September 1, 2010 must submit an apostilled or verified diploma to the immigration office.
Teachers from US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, or South Africa have 3 options:
a.) The diploma can be apostillized by the government in your home country.
b.) The diploma can be verified at a Korean consulate in your home country.
c.) The diploma can be verified through the diploma verification service offered by the Korean Council for University Education.
Teachers from Canada have 2 options:
a.) The diploma can be verified at a Korean consulate in your home country.
b.) The diploma can be verified through the diploma verification service offered by the Korean Council for University Education.
*Canada does not have an Apostillization treaty with Korea.
*** KCUE only accepts applications from organizations or schools. Whether DMOE will submit the request or ask your schools to do it is not yet determined. We will let you know soon. Due to increased number of applications, KCUE is currently not accepting new applications. Once an application is submitted, the verification process takes 4 to 6 weeks. There is a fee for KCUE diploma verification service which is to be borne by native teachers.
More information about the service can be found at this link:
http://english.kcue.or.kr/sub_new_03_1.html
Criminal Record Check
All native teachers extending their E-2 Visa or change the status of sojourn starting January 1, 2011 must submit a central government level Criminal Record Check issued within 6 months before the time of submission. (Important for Americans; make sure the criminal record check is a FBI-level check, state-level CRC’s are no good.) The CRC also needs to be apostilled or verified before submission.
Teachers from US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, or South Africa have 2 options:
a.) The CRC can be apostilled by your government in your home country.
b.) The CRC can be verified by your government embassy or consulate in Korea.
Teachers from Canada have 2 options:
a.) The CRC can be verified at a Korean consulate in Canada.
b.) The CRC can be verified by your government embassy or consulate in Korea.
*** Issuance of CRC may take up to 12 weeks. If you are planning to extend your E-2 Visa, to renew with DMOE or to continue working in Korea, please consider CRC issuance process, shipping, and verification/apostillization period and plan accordingly.
DMOE does not have information such as which office of your home government provides apostillization service, which consulate/embassy provides apostillization/verification service, and where you should apply for the criminal record check, etc. It is all different from country to country. We are in the process of collecting as much information as possible to assist you with the process of obtaining the required documents. Since timeline is tight for many of you, please start gathering information on how to obtain the documents. It would be a good idea to share the information you find out with fellow teachers from your home country through an online community such as Facebook wall.
I am aware that some of you have handed in apostilled diploma and CRC to EPIK when you first applied as a NET. The documents are with us at DMOE but unfortunately our office is not allowed to return those documents to you to bring it to the immigration office. The immigration office does not check and return the documents but take them away upon submission, and all POEs and MOEs with EPIK are required to store all of NETs’ application documents.
Hope this clarifies the new visa extension process for you. For further confirmation or clarification we ask you to
1) refer to the hikorea website at www.hikorea.go.kr,
Information >> Immigration Guide >> Foreigner sojourn >> Extension of Stay >> Status of stay(35), and select “Foreign language teaching(E-2)” under “Employment Visa”
2) refer to the hikorea website at www.hikorea.go.kr,
Information >> Immigration Guide >> Visa >> Visa >> Visa issuance guide – status of stay, and select “Foreign Language Instructor(E-2)” under “Employment Visa”
3) or call the immigration contact center at 1345 and press 3* for service in English.
*** If you hold a non-working visa such as an F-4, F-2, or F-5 visa, please confirm with the Immigration Service that you are not required to submit the newly required documents to extend your visa.
As we find out more information and guidelines regarding the changed E-2 document policy, I will let you know. Also, as I find out more information or plan about KCUE application, I will notify you through e-mail. Have a great weekend.
Best wishes,
Ji Won Shin
--
Program Coordinator
Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education
Namgu Daemyeong 2 Dong 1819-37
Daegu, South Korea
In case there is any confusion, US citizens CANNOT get their degree verified at the embassy in Korea. I have serious doubts that you can get your CRC verified there either, call the embassy to make sure that you can before you plan a trip to Seoul. Stupid local BOEs have told teachers that degree checks can be done at the US Embassy in Seoul, and sent them on an expensive wild goose chase.
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