Permanent Residency in Korea
Over 17 years in Korea I've changed visa status four times. Each change of status required either a trip to an immigration branch office or to a Korean consulate or embassy overseas. Some visas can only be applied for outside of country. Some visas can also be renewed easily just by visiting the immigration office. I was actually on a tourist visa for a while (not by choice) requiring me to do the "visa hop" to Fukuoka, Japan every 90 days in order not to overstay the visa. It's good for five years, but you can only stay in country 90 days at a time.
For the past six years I've been in Korea on an F-2 visa, commonly called the marriage, or spousal, visa. Any foreigner married to a Korean citizen is eligible for this visa. It used to be rather involved and difficult to get one, so I never bothered. Three years into my marriage the rules were relaxed. I applied and got approved without a hitch.
The good thing about the F-2 is that after holding one for five consecutive years you can apply for the F-5 visa, aka permanent residency. There are other routes to get F-5, but for me F-2 was the easiest. The F-2 is usually good for one year when it is first issued, but is often (though not always) granted for two years on each consecutive renewal (which, thankfully, can be handled in-country and usually takes no more than an hour or two). There are some restrictions on F-2 holders, but it's generally looser than other, job-specific visas. The F-5 is much more liberal. Permanent residency need not be renewed and places no restrictions on where or how many hours permanent residents may work. Under the F-5, I will still need to report any change of address and apply for a reentry permit when I leave the country, but that's the extent of the requirements. It's almost like being a citizen.
So I should have been eligible to apply for permanent residency last year. However, three years ago I was penalized when renewing my F-2 for having failed to report a change of address. I had to pay a fine of roughly $100 USD. What I didn't learn until last year, however, was that they also placed a three year block on applying for permanent residency. So when I showed up at the immigration office to do so, I was told that I wouldn't be eligible for it until 08/08/08. I had to settle for a one-year renewal of the F-2 instead.
Finally, a couple of days ago I headed to the immigration office to apply for the F-5. Having forgotten that I wasn't eligible until the 8th, my wife and I had actually gone over there on the 6th. Even though we were too early, we learned that we were missing an important document that took a couple of days to acquire, so it wasn't a wasted trip. This week, we had everything we in order on arrival.
We arrived a little later than intended. In the past, it's always been crowded and if you didn't get a number by 9:00 am you likely wouldn't get out until some time in the afternoon. But both last week and this week the place was unusually dead. We waited only 20 minutes before our number came up. All of the paperwork was in order, the agent was quite friendly and talkative (another unusual experience) and all seemed to go well. What I wasn't prepared for, though, was that I have to wait 2-3 months for the result. And since they took my passport along with the paperwork, I can't leave the country during that time.
I had been told over the phone when I inquired some time ago that the whole process should take no longer than a week. With that in mind, I had planned a trip to Poland in late September for a programming conference, where I most likely would have given a presentation on a project on which I'm currently (and rather slowly) working. I was waiting for my new alien registration ID before making travel reservations. Now, those plans are toast. I was a bit put off at that, as I was looking forward to meeting some people I've known only online. Plus, I've always wanted to visit Europe. Never in my life did I imagine I would visit Poland. So, yeah, I was really, really looking forward to it. Such is life.
Additionally, I was told that at some point an agent would call me and ask me some questions in Korean. My Korean is passable, but it's a bit difficult for me over the phone, lot's of "could you repeat that" (in Korean, of course). I have no idea what sort of questions they intend to ask, but it's important that the call not be missed. If it's missed once, there might not be a second chance. And no completed phone interview means a denial of the F-5. They will instead revert to an F-2 renewal.
I suppose this story isn't going to be very interesting to most people, but I hope it helps someone in my shoes. The initial F-2 application was processed rather quickly. As I recall, the wait was only a week, maybe a little longer. It was also painless and didn't require any phone interviews. If you are married to a Korean and your spouse is in good legal standing and either holds a job or has a certain amount of cash in the bank, then it's a cinch to get approved. The F-5 required a bit more paperwork, but the requirements are rather similar. I could have substituted my job for my wife's on the application (can't remember if the same was possible with the F-2). Basically, the F-2 is much, much easier to obtain than I had anticipated. The verdict's out on the F-5. The application, at least, was rather simple. I'll let you know how the rest turns out.
Hi, found this with a google search and though it’s add my comment for anyone else doing the same
I’ve recently gone through the process of moving from an F-2 to an F-5. Some of the info you mention is not correct.
There’s a PDF file on the hikorea.go.kr site called “Guidebook for Foreign spouses of Korean nationals” which has all the details of exactly what you need. Also there’s a green booklet for spouses of koreans with the same info available at the immigration office.
The requirement is 2 years on an F-2 and not the five you mention.
Also, a re-entry permit is not required unless you plan of leaving korea for more than 1 year, in which case it is.
Although they said it can take up to 3 months, I applied and they returned my passport and gave me a new alien registration card with F-5 status after just two weeks!
There was no phone interview, and there’s no mention of one in the document i mentioned on the website. Did they end up calling you?
Finally, you can easily make a reservation for the seoul (or other) immigration office from the hikorea website. It means you can come when it’s convenient for you and the process takes less than an hour.
- Jack
Some of the info you mention is not correct.
Well, it was correct at the time. I inquired about it when I first got my F-2 in 2002. It was then that they told me the requirement for F-5 was five years and that I would be eligible in August, 2007. I had to wait six years total though, because in the third year of my F-2 I was penalized for not reporting a change of address. That was a 100,000 won fine and a three year block on applying for an F-5. I was told at the time (2005) that I would be eligible on 08/08/08.
When I did finally submit the application, I was informed by the agent that I would receive a phone interview. She explicitly told me that if I missed the call for some reason, I risked getting disapproved. She made it sound like this phone interview was very important.
Did they end up calling you?
No, they never did.
If you only needed the F-2 for two years then I suppose there has been a policy change. It wouldn’t be the first time. A friend of mine went through a much more stringent process in the mid-90s and had to pay quite a bit more money for it than we do now.
Thanks for the info, though. Now I can tell others that it’s gotten easier.
Does anyone know what the requirements for the F-5 visa are for people not married to Koreans? My sister, who’s been teaching in Korea for years now, is looking to borrow money to get it. She says she needs 50 million won in her bank account, but I haven’t been able to substantiate this online. One website I found said the person needs to be earning double the average Korean salary. Is anyone able to tell me which information is correct? Thanks!