Recent developments concerning visa processing times for international seafarer workers is quite the talking point in the K-pop world at the moment!
A few weeks ago, an article was published discussing how some of Korea’s biggest companies were allegedly using undocumented labor to fulfill their global export obligations. The author of this piece claimed that these “third country nationals” (TCNs) worked under deplorable conditions with little access to legal protections.
The media took great interest in this story as it highlighted the poor working conditions many foreigners experience while living and traveling abroad. Some even alleged that these companies engaged in illegal activity by employing TCNs without appropriate visas.
Since then, there have been several other stories about Koreans taking action against fellow citizens over accusations of employment related fraud or violations of immigration laws. These include reports of violent confrontations between individuals and police forces as well as lawsuits being filed.
Overall, this has caused an uproar among various communities across Asia. Many people are sharing their opinions on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. Some even claim that this is an example of what happens when you let large corporations run wild and unchecked.
This article will talk more in depth about the recent controversy surrounding visa processing times for foreign employees within the korean entertainment industry. However, before we get into those details, I would like to make two points.
The first step in processing your visa is to choose which country you will apply in. You can only do this once you have both an itinerary and a ship registered as traveling for business or tourism.
After that, you will need to pick either Seoul or Busan as your application city. This depends on if you are applying from outside of Korea or within the country.
If you are already in South Korea then choosing one of these two cities gives you easy access to applications and tours of the consulate. If you are not in Korea at the time you must submit your documents via mail or online, none of which have a free trial period.
There is no set number of days for visa processing in Korea, but we recommend allowing 2 weeks[1] for the most efficient process.
There is some confusion about how long it takes to process your visa in Korea. Some say that it can take anywhere from one week to several months, even years! This article will try to clear up this myth and give you an accurate estimate of when you can expect to receive your visa.
It’s important to remember that not only does each embassy have their own set processing time, but there are also different types of seafarer visas. The validity of your visa depends on its type (1 year or 2 year) as well as whether it’s short term (90 days) or long term (6 month).
After your visa has been processed, you will need to wait until you receive it in the country before you can travel! This is due to regulations that require employers to have proof they left the country before traveling or at least 2 weeks of employment while abroad.
This is why there’s no immediate confirmation that you received your visa once it goes through. You should be aware of this so you don’t book an expensive flight or take a trip right away unless you are certain your passport is up to date and you have enough money saved to last two weeks without job opportunities.
Business owners who hire employees typically follow this regulation as well, which is another reason why it takes longer than just one day for someone to confirm their employee has leave pending.
As mentioned earlier, knowing how long it takes to process your visa can help you in many ways. If you know that processing times are longer than expected, you can begin preparing early to reduce waiting time!
Knowing when to expect your passport to be back will also give you some clues as to whether or not your visit will be successful. For example, if you have no idea when your passporr might return, then this may indicate poor health, loss of employment, or other significant changes.
It is also important to remember that even though there’s an average length of time needed for visa processing, each embassy has its own timing quirks. Some take much less time than the average, while others take considerably more.
As mentioned earlier, knowing how long it takes to process your visa can save you time in the very beginning when you apply for visas. This article will go into more detail about this!
The first thing to know is that every embassy has different processing times for visas. Some take only one day while others can take longer depending on what kind of visa they are (work or tourist).
Some embassies also have maximum wait times for visa applications which can be up to a month before you actually get to submit yours. These waiting periods vary by country as well as personal timing for each applicant.
All seafarer visas have two parts: the first is to prove your status as a non-immigrant worker, and the second part is to show that you will return home after your employment period has ended.
The first step in applying for a non-resident alien work permit (NAWP) or long term working visa is to prove your employee status. This means proving who you are, where you live, and showing proof of enough money to finance your stay in Korea.
It’s also important to know what documents can be used to verify your identity. These include passports, national ID cards, medical certificates and receipts.
As mentioned earlier, most countries require at least one year of continuous residency in order to apply for a tourist or business visa. This is typically two years for a work visa! So if you’re looking to stay longer than just a few months, then you will need to reapply later.
However, it is not always the case that every country requires this. Some can be done directly online, while others may ask for extra documents depending on their process. For example, some nations must have proof of an adequate living situation before granting entry as a visitor.
For workers, there is usually no limit to how long they can reside in a given country before applying for a working visa. However, it is best to confirm this by reading official materials such as government websites.
If you are traveling for one month or longer, there is an easy way to save time at the visa processing stage! And this article will talk about it!
Visas for both entry and exit into Australia can be done online via The eVisa System. This eliminates having to go in person every day to get them as well as cuts down on waiting time due to there being no extra staff needed at the embassy/consulate.
There is also less risk of your visas getting lost or stolen because they’re not sent through normal channels. Once submitted, their system maintains a record of when they were last accessed so if someone does access yours, they won’t need to start from scratch.
And even though most people don’t realize it, there is an additional cost associated with applying for your visa offline.
