Immigration

Date: 11/1/2010

Last Thursday (10/29/2010--I think) my health check was completed.  It took four days and it cost 53,000 \.  Ms Kim and I went to pick it up and headed to the immigration office.  In Gunsan it is located down by the harbor so as we were driving around, trying to find a parking space I could see the blue-ness of the water.  It was very surreal.  The closest I've lived to the ocean is Columbia, South Carolina--which is about a 90 minute drive.  This drive was maybe 10 minutes. 

We pull into the parking space and head into an average office space.  We talk to a man behind a desk.  I give him all the paperwork that the Office of Education in Jeonbuk had given me and then he asks for extra documents. 

Luckily, I had been told to prepare for this and I happened to have my diploma with me.  I didn't actually bring the real diploma (though it might have been better) but I really didn't want to lug my nice, big degree all the way across the world--it would have been chewed up and dirtied.  So I brought an apostilled copy.  Unfortunately, the apostille is different looking.  It has the signature and seal of the Secretary of State, but it does not follow a typical format or something, so the man behind the immigration desk stared at it for about 10 minutes for asking me if it was real.  Yeah...It's really.  Like I would go to all that work to fake it. 

Then he wants to know if I have my FBI CBC (criminial background check).  This took over a month and 1/2 to get, and then it had to be apostilled by the Washington DC service so, unfortunately was only able to bring a scanned copy.  He mumbles that this will do for now...but once I get the real one, I will need to bring it to him.

Then he wants to see my Tax Exemption form (the IRS form that I'm still waiting on the US government to process).  I explain that to Ms Kim, who in turn, explains it to Mr. Immigration office.  He nods, then pulls back out my apostilled degree and mumbles about how it doesn't look right. 

I explain that I have the emails from me and my regirstar at university (the lady who got the apostille) telling me they are authentic.  For, in fact, my recruiter at JJ Recruiting had asked the same questions. 

So, after a little while longer, Mr Immigration Man says I need to bring the email from my registrar with me next time when I come back to pick up my Alien Residence Card--just so he can see.  I have no problem with that.

But I do warn anyone coming to teach English in SK--bring a copy of all the documents you sent to your state's office because most likely, they will not forward them to the Immigration office in your city.  If you have a copy of them then the process can go more smoothly than mine did.  I had thought I had a copy of all my documents when I left, but I totally blanked on a couple. 

I find out Friday if all is good and well in the land of Immigration--which I'm sure it will be, but...doesn't mean I'm not a little worried.  I have a lot on my proverbial plate right now and the last thing I need is to be denied immigrations rights...