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.<
Hi,
I am thinking about going to Korea. The plan is to just go there and try to find either a job as an English teacher, or another profession, preferably in telecommunications. I want to stay somewhere between 3 months and 2 years.
Can anybody hint me on what kind of visa to get, if it is possible to arrange everything when you are already in the country on a tourist visa, etc.
thanks!
by the way. I am not a native English Speaker. But I will get a TEFL (Teach English as a Foreign Language) Degree