Visa Frustrations

In case you don’t know, in order to work in a foreign country legitimately you must have a work-visa. In my case, Sky English Academy sponsored mine with the Korean government, which was issued before I left the states but didn’t take into effect until I entered the country on October 8. Well, my year is just about up, so my boss and I filled out the appropriate paperwork to extend my visa before my time lapsed. Or so we thought.

I got caught in a crazy loophole. See, my alien registration card is valid for one year, and that’s the piece of identification I use regularly. And because my work-visa is stamped inside my passport, I rarely see it. Well, apparently my work visa is only good for 51 weeks and not a full year. This is what happened:

I entered Korea on October 2, and naturally I had to go through Customs. But when the lady inspected my passport she referred me to the Department of Immigration because even though my alien registration card was current, I had missed the last day to enter Korea on my work-visa by one day. ONE DAY! If I had entered Korea on October 1 none of this would have been a problem.

So I’m waiting at immigration with all the other poor saps that got pulled aside for one reason or another and finally I speak to someone. They tell me I can’t legally work in Korea now and confiscate my alien registration card. They also said the only way I can re-enter Korea is on a tourist visa, which is good for 3 months. An inner battle started to rage inside my head, the last thing I want to do is perpetuate a fraud on the Korean government, but all my things are in Andong and I’m expect to work in 36 hours. So I tell them what they wanted to hear. I was issued a new visa, one that’s intended for sightseeing, and left the airport.

Side note. My plane landed at 9pm, and the last shuttle bus from to Seoul is at 10, but because I had to talk to immigration, I missed the shuttle by 3 minutes. 3 MINUTES! The result was a an hour and a half cab ride that cost $140, as opposed to the $9 bus ticket. Seriously? Seriously!

I spent the night at Val’s and took a bus to Andong the next day. I mentioned before that my journey from Shanghai to my apartment took 37 hours, and I tell you I was a mess. All I wanted was to get my laundry done for the next week and sleep in my own bed, which eventually happened, but holy cow! It was so exhausting!

I got to Andong Sunday night around 7pm. I needed some fabric softener and food, so I went out and when I came home my boss was waiting for me. He was eager to send my passport to the immigration for my visa extension, and when I told him my alien registration card had been impounded, he looked at me blankly. He was with my co-worker who speaks Korean and English, so luckily I had a translator, but I could tell he was dumbfounded as to know what to do next.

In order to teach English in Korea I had to bring my original degree from Westminster, but because people have been forging diplomas, the government now requires confirmation from the school. Having been informed of this new policy, Mr. Shinn sent a request for this weeks ago, but it never came. This, combined with my immigration status, means I have to get a new work-visa instead of an extension, which is a serious pain in the butt!

The long and the short of it is, in order for me to get a new Korean work-visa, I have to leave Korea, fly to Japan, and visit the Korean Embassy. That’s right! I’m already here in Korea, but I have to leave and go to the Korean Embassy! Which is so ridiculous for so many reasons, including, embassies in foreign nations are considered a little country in itself. If I was accused of a crime and faced some horrific consequence, all I would have to do is find an American Embassy and it’s like I’m on USA soil. And assuming the U.S. wouldn’t extradite me, I’d be completely safe from foreign policies So going to Japan to visit the Korean Embassy is like going to Korea. EXCEPT I’M ALREADY IN KOREA! Seriously the most ridiculous thing ever!

As it is, we’re waiting for all the paperwork to come through in order to send it to Japan, so when I go to Japan, literally all I do is make an appointment and give them the number of my file, and they glue the new work-visa in my passport. I don’t have to do anything else because it’ll all be finalized before I even get there. But I have to do it in-person. Talk about red tape!

I don’t know if this makes it any better or not, but apparently the U.S. has the same stupid policy. I swear, it’s bureaucracy like this that legitimizes the Republican Party!