Excerpt
GIC collected cases and their solutions in this page. Kindly take note that we are not legal representative and all visa inquiries should be directed to the Immigration (hotline 1345)
Q: I have an A3 Visa; as a holder of this type of Visa, I do not have an Alien Registration Number. In many personal business transactions, one needs an Alien Registration Number. So if we don’t have an Alien Registration Number, what can we use as an alternative to it?
A: We are really sorry to hear that, but since every transaction requires different method. We suggest to ask anyone that holds ARC number/Korean registration number to be your representative.
Q: I want my Chinese wife to come to Korea on a C3 visa so she can bring the documents (family reg documents that she is not allowed to send out of China) and apply for an F3 visa here in Korea. Can you tell me if I (her husband on an E2 visa) can get a C3 visa in Korea for her.
A: According to the immigration office, your wife can apply for changing her visa to F-3 visa as a C-3 visa holder. Alternatively, your wife can directly apply for the C-3 visa at a Korean consulate in China. For further information such as required documents, please contact the immigration office at 1345(Ext.3 for English) directly.
Q: I have been living/teaching in Korea for 10 months now. I want to file for taxes but I don’t know how. My school used to take taxes out automatically but they stopped after about 2 months. I’m not sure what forms I need and I’m not sure how to go about the process of filing for my taxes.
A: According to the National Tax Office, if you are an employee according to employment contract between you and school, your employer who is the withholding agent for the national tax service in Korea should withhold taxes every month from your salary and file year-end tax settlement for you in February of the following year.In case the total of monthly prepaid tax is greater than final tax due at the year-end tax, then you can receive tax refund. If you don’t have any other income in Korea, you do not need to file tax return in May of the following year because your tax liability is settled and finalized with the year-end tax settlement.However, you need to talk to your company and ask why they stopped to deduct your tax automatically. For further information, please contact the National Tax Office or refer to http://www.nts.go.kr/eng/.
Q: I am an English teacher in Korea. I heard the tax rate for foreigners changed. What can you tell me about this?
A: According to the tax office, there hasn’t been any changes in tax rate but the previous 30% tax exemption for foreigners has expired as of 2010. Before, 30% of gross pay was exempted from taxation. But due to it’s expiration whole wage is taxable. For further inquiry, you can contact the National Tax Service hotline for foreigners at 1588-0560.
Q: I’m a Canadian citizen with a D-8 visa and have to apply for a new passport in Seoul soon. When I get my new passport, do I have to inform immigration about this? If I do, please let me know how much time I have to inform them.
A: You need to report your new passport number to the district immigration office within 14 days, once you receive a new passport. Also, you can fax to the Immigration office at 02-1577-1346 with an application form and a copy of your new passport. (Go to www.hikorea.go.kr -Quick Menu- Forms - First Document). If you make an account on this website ,then you can report it by uploading a copy of your passport as an image file.
Q: I heard that foreigners are able to vote in Korea, depending on certain qualifications and conditions. Can you please provide the conditions/qualifications for eligibility to vote?
A: Foreigners aged 19 or above who have had their permanent status (F-5) for three or more years are able to vote for local council members and the head of the local government in the district. A person may register to vote at the local District “Gu” office, though the ballot is not available in English.
Q: I was unfairly fired from my job. What should I do?
A: According to Article 23 of the Labor Standards Act, an employee cannot suffer punishment such as dismissal, etc. from the employer without justifiable reasons. In the case of unfair dismissal, a fired worker can apply for relief regarding unfair dismissal to the Labor Relations Commission.
For more information and further inquiries, contact the Ministry of Labor’s hotline (1350) or visit http:/english.molab.go.kr/
Please check ‘Q&A for Working in Gwangju’ in the ‘Working in Gwangju’ section for more cases.
*Information and cases are collected from various sources.
3 Comments
- evalyn dela cruz January 13, 2011 at 10:59 AM
- nana_kim January 13, 2011 at 12:05 PM
- Norielyn Trinidad March 12, 2011 at 2:32 AM
i been here in korea for 2 years now.i handle an e-6 visa but after a year that i work i find out that my promoter lost my passport and they don’t have my alien card too.i just got married to an american citizen and i need to find out what is my alien registration number for my petition to go to united states of america…i have the last letter of the immigration to me…what should i do…to find out my alien registration number???
Evalyn, thank you for dropping us a visit. First, you have to have make a new passport and you have to go to your embassy to issue it. After that you should go to the Immigration Office to reissue your alien registration card. I believe you can only make an alien registration card if you will reside in Korea for more than 90 days. You might also have to go to the police and make a report that your passport was lost, to be submitted for issuing a new passport in your embassy.
My husband worked in korea for almost 3 years. His last employer failed to renew his alien card on time and it made him return to the Philippines. Can he get a reentry visa?