Transferring my Visa/ Alien Card expiration... how long does it take? Illegal?

[pez]

Hi!  So I am having trouble finding information.

I have one month left of my current visa and current contract. I have signed a new contract to begin a few days after I finish my current one.

The whole change takes place during the Chusok Holiday, so I am a little worried that everything won't get done.  I guess these are my questions, hopefully someone who has done this before has an idea of how it all works.

-How long does the whole process of transferring the visa and getting a new one take?
-Is there any "grace period" on my visa, or am I expected to have the new one in my passport by the expiration date of the current one.
-Do I get a new alien card with a new expiration date, or do they just "update" this one somehow?
-Of all the processes, what do I need to do, and what does my school do?

THANKS for any help!!
Amy

[kevin000]

Take all your documents with you to immigration.  Assuming that you are staying with your employer, it is just a matter of extending your visa before it expires.  It is really simple and can be done in a day.  The problem you might encounter is the new federal background check requirement.  I don't know the cutoff date, but there is a new regulation about background checks that will kick in sometime soon.  Call Seoul immigration; they have an English speaking hotline that can answer all of your questions.

[nancy]

I renewed my visa last month and it took about fifteen minutes at the immigration office. Have your coteacher check you have the right documents and take your new contract, passport and ARC with you. They will put a new sticker in your passport ( I had mine renewed until the last day of the new contract which was a little over one year) and write somethng on the back of your ARC. It is really quite simple. When you travel outside the country you will need to take both your passport and ARC  with you to get back in. You don't have to wait until the last minute, do it as soon as you can. There is no grace period if one VISA runs out.

[JuliusCaesar108]

For anyone that needs a visa now, the federal criminal background check is now required.

[timmayyyyy]

JC, where did you hear that? Because that isn't supposed to take effect until January 1st...Sep 1st, original degrees were no longer accepted, they have to be apostilled.