Do I need a new criminal check to get a new E2 Visa

I get questions about getting a new E2 Visa in Korea. The biggest question since Korean immigration started asking for criminal background checks is: “Do I need a new criminal background check to get a new visa if I already submitted one?” The short answer is no. As long as you are in Korea and apply for a new visa before leaving Korea then you won’t need a new CBC or subject access request to get a new visa. However, US English teachers who previously only provided a local or county criminal background check will need to get a state criminal check as that is  a required document by Korean immigration now.

If you leave Korea for a month, a week or even a day after your visa expires and you want to teach English in Korea again then you’ll need to get all those documents again including a new criminal record check.  Immigration doesn’t care that you may have already had 2 or 3 visas and never over-stayed your work visa.  The whole E2 Visa process starts all over again.

The easiest way of course is to re-sign at your current hagwon.  A visa extension can be done with no paperwork necessary on your part.  However,  an equally easy method would be a visa transfer. For that you would need to have your Alien Registration Card ARC (and therefore Visa) with an expiration date of a week or more past your last day of work. You would also need a release letter from your current Employer dated with your last day of work. If you can provide your next Employer with a release letter , your passport and ARC then they should be able to simply transfer your visa from your current schools sponsorship to theirs.  The key there is that your ARC expires around a week or more  after your last work day and that your boss is willing to give you a letter of release.