Ok so here's a post about my visa process.
The requirements for a Korean Visa seem easy enough. I got a list of required docs from my recruiter:
- State Criminal Background Check with Apostille
- Four sets of official university transcripts
- Copy of Bachelor's Degree(s) with Apostille
- Signed EPIK Application
- Copy of the first page of passport
- Four official passport photos
- Two original letters of recommendation (part of the regular application process)
Since I've only been in Texas for a little over a year I have to get a Criminal Background Check (CBC) from both Texas and Oregon. In theory I only need the one for Texas Apostilled, but since I'm moving back to Oregon at the end of May I'll probably have them both done just in case. The extreme annoyance has been with actually getting the dang things ordered.
To start out I had to get fingerprints. Turns out that isn't nearly as easy as it sounds. My city only does fingerprinting Mon - Thurs and I had started on a Friday. This meant I couldn't do anything for my Oregon CBC until the next week. One already delayed. There is another option for Texas though. The state is contracted with a company to do electronic fingerprinting, which is sent right down to Austin. This was pretty convenient, except for the fact that you have to set up an appointment at least a day in advance. I found this out when I went to the office and talked to the girls that work there. They were doing nothing, just chilling with music and the internet. But they couldn't order my CBC because of the regulations. At this point I was already pissed off because I had gone to the city police, who sent me to the jail. Both were useless! I tried the department of public safety, but the office was also completely useless. Why doesn't Texas just have a regular state police force with an office I could go to to get this thing ordered? That's what I did for Oregon. Just call up Oregon State Police, tell them what I need, get instructions on how to get it. That didn't happen in Texas. Not even close. I finally ended up setting up an appointment for the following Monday (other pain in the ass is the office is only open during regular business hours, which is what I work). So nothing I could do for my Texas CBC that Friday either.
The other insane headache was getting the copies of my degrees notarized. They have to be notarized in order to get an Apostilled. I went to my bank, the post office, another bank, FedEx, and UPS. None of them would notarize the copies. This was on that same Friday and at this point I was just ready to kill someone. So I gave up and came home. Video games are a great way to cool down, let me tell you.
So I was telling all this to one of my friends and guess it turns out (figures) her notary had expired two weeks ago! The saving grace there was I didn't even know she was one to begin with so I hadn't really lost anything. It did get me thinking though, are there other notaries in my office? Turns out there are! So I talked to one of them and she was kind enough to go into detail about why she couldn't notarize the copies. So then I called the Secretary of State to figure out the way to solve this little dilemma. She told me to just write a statement saying the copy was true and correct and sign that, and that the notary would stamp my signature. So after everything, I have a stamp saying I made the copy of my degrees. How is that not shown by the copies themselves? I guess that's immigration though. So now I have my degrees notarized and ready to send off for an Apostille as soon as I get my Oregon CBC back (I got my Texas one back today, only took a week to get).
So for now I'm on standby until I get that Oregon CBC. In the mean time though, I find out I have to get transcripts from the community college I took a few summer courses at while I was at OSU even though the credits show up on my OSU transcripts. Originally I thought that would be no big deal. Turns out CCC is not as advanced as OSU. I had to fax them a request to print the transcripts, and they charge for them! That will teach me to go through a community college to get ahead. So I faxed in the form and talked with a woman in the office. I told her I need a stamp across the envelope seal (required for the Visa of course). She tells me that is standard. I got the transcripts the other day and there is no stamp, just a printed label! Again, community college. So now I need to find out if those will work or if I need to call them again and get them to actually stamp the things. On the bright side they forgot to charge my dad (who picked the transcripts up for me), so I saved $20 there.
So that's where I am with my Visa process. I know its a long post, sorry about that. I figure only people interested in teaching abroad will read it all, and they're probably looking for details about getting a Visa. I know I tried and didn't find anything this detailed. So last thing for this post and something that hadn't even occurred to me until I started, the costs for a visa (so far):
Texas CBC (including electronic fingerprints) - $24.95
Fingerprint card for Oregon CBC - $10
Oregon CBC - $33
Oregon CBC notary - $5
Priority shipping w/ delivery confirmation for Oregon CBC - $5
Total: $78
This doesn't include the costs for the Apostilles, which is $15 per document in Texas. I have to get copies of both degrees and my Texas CBC done, so there's another $45. Plus 4 passport photos, probably $10, and misc. shipping charges. Then actually sending the documents to Korea will probably be $60. Good thing I'm still working I guess.
