deathtoclones

[deathtoclones]

So I forgot my password and haven’t posted in forever... thought I’d put up a few photos just to show what I’ve been up to lately! Mostly Comic Con Seoul and burlesque. And yes, I got to interview Billy Boyd (Pippin, Lord of the Rings) and Pom Klementieff (Mantis, Guardians of the Galaxy)!!!

[deathtoclones]

Just curious. Your Visa requires to have like $30,000us in the bank right? Didnt you have a lot of money saved up? What happened to that?

Bills. (Mostly bills, seriously, one of my credit cards had me paying $500-700 a month before I got it worked out.) Olympics. Mumbai. Moving. New (and much needed) furniture. Etc.

Not to mention, it was cash and assets, so I didn’t actually have 30 million won sitting in my bank account - some of it was key money and other things. Only a portion of that was actual savings. And I got the visa almost 2 years ago and have been freelancing almost a year, with the first 4 months of that I was only bringing in about 800,000 to 1 million won. The 12 million won I had saved up when I quit only lasted about 9 months or so with all my bills.

[deathtoclones]

Getting Better

So after dealing with the drama of last month, things are getting a bit better. Suppose it helped that I had my birthday and Christmas always gets me feeling better and hopeful, no matter the circumstances.

Payment for a freelance project I did came through two days before my birthday party, providing me with enough funds to get me through to pay day on the 10th (and not have to cancel my birthday party). I landed another freelance gig for next week that is paying a good (much needed) amount. Morgan’s stitches are healing nicely and he has been off meds for nearly a week. The vet says he’ll likely get the stitches out and cone off this coming Saturday. I FINALLY got over myself and contacted the credit card companies. Ended up cancelling both of them, but was able to get on payment plans that are less than $100 a month each so that I shouldn’t get overwhelmed with payments again. And it turned out to be an easier process than I thought it would be... Once I get paid from two of my companies on Monday, I can get caught up on all my utility bills (and hopefully stay caught up - I was only a month behind anyway).

I’m still on the look out for more work, but the company I did the music trend research project for asked to put me in their network and said they hope to work with me again. I might get some more classes from one company this month (though not holding my breath as they’ve tried to set me up with 5 classes now that have all fallen through). The magazine is running a free ad for me in the next issue advertising editing and writing, so the hope is that will help generate some more projects. I’m getting another hagwon class in January and I’ve gotten two new phone students. Not to mention, the biggest project I’ve been working on since last January is finally wrapping up, so I should receive the final payment for that in January which will REALLY help out in keeping up with bills and such. And an old coworker is at a new broadcasting company and told me to send in my resume and he would try and set me up with something.

So, all is not lost. It’s still going to be rough and I’m sure I have more ups and downs to come, but it’s enough to keep me fighting and believing that yes, I can do this freelance thing. The first two years are always the roughest, according to my friends who have gone that route, so by those standards, I’m doing okay. I just need to keep putting myself out there and looking/applying for more jobs. I’m hoping by the end of Year Two I’ll have all the PT/freelance teaching gigs weaned out and will be making money solely through writing and editing. 

I’m feeling hopeful for 2019. I feel I’ve learned a lot in the last year and am eager to apply that to the new year and Year Two of freelancing. More than that, I think it’s helped that while in the midst of freaking out and wondering if I made the right decision by giving up a full-time, well paying job to go on this adventure, I was reminded by my friends that even if I feel like I’m struggling, I’m still accomplishing things. And I’ve had some pretty amazing experiences in the last year that I wouldn’t have had if I hadn’t gone freelance. 

So that’s kind of where I am at the moment. Still working and pushing and sure, struggling in some areas, but I’ll get to where I want to go. Just need to keep pushing. (And get that damn manuscript edited so I can publish!)

[deathtoclones]

Life... seriously...

Just when I think I’m making progress in the financial area, something happens...

The cat I slightly unwillingly adopted several months ago scratched Morgan’s face when he once again tried to steal her food (seriously nothing I’ve done seems to keep him away). He then scratched at it so much that what was a small scratch under his eye turned into a gaping wound and got infected. Took him to the vet last week and dropped over 500,000 won on stitches, a blood test, and meds. I had just gotten paid from two of my jobs that day and 80% of it was gone.

But I tried to stay positive. I got a new research job that pays well (it’s a one-time gig). And I knew if I put in extra hours on the editing website, I would still be able to cover the bills and have a bit for my birthday party the first weekend in December.

I’ve been doing everything the vet asked - meds morning and night, cleaning it, puppy-proofing the house. Morgan managed to pull out his stitches about three days after they were put in. Got them redone at no extra charge. Things seemed to be healing, albeit slowly - which the vet said was normal. Then yesterday, he ripped out half the stitches again. The vet said it was okay. Since the skin is a bit inflamed/irritated, he would just leave it and focus on the outer edges, which were healing up well. Then this morning at our daily visit, Morgan ripped out the rest of the stitches while the vet was trying to clean it up. The vet said he would redo them again, but this was the last time. If they don’t work or stay in, he’s going to refer Morgan for surgery.

I nearly burst into tears because I know that’s going to be expensive and I literally do not have the money for it. At all. I’m barely making rent as it is. My credit cards are going unpaid for a fourth month in a row. I’m beginning to think it’s time I face the music and start looking for a full-time office job. Every time I get close to a point where everything is going to be covered, something happens and I fall back again. I lose students. A job doesn’t work out. Etc. I can’t seem to find enough writing/editing work even though I feel like it’s got to be out there. I’ve cut out just about everything extra in my expenses that I can. I still owe my friends $600 from this summer and I refuse to ask anyone for a loan because I know that will just put me farther behind.

Ugh. Today I’m supposed to go out to celebrate my birthday early with my friends (they are taking me to see Crimes of Grindelwald and to the new Harry Potter cafe), and I just feel so defeated. 

But I have to stay positive somehow. I mean, eventually things are going to work out, right? Ugh...

[deathtoclones]

Michael Rooker Ate My Chips

Okay, I’m still a bit “Did that just happen?” Even though it’s been an hour or so. It was just so... random. And crazy. And awesome.

Right, so my friends in the burlesque troupe had a booth at Comic Con. I was sitting there chilling for a bit this afternoon. My Fleur heels had been killing me, so I had put on my slippers and was just relaxing and eating some chips from Singapore that my friend dropped off for me since I hadn’t eaten anything and was a bit hungry. 

I looked to my right and lo and behold... Michael Rooker is walking down the way with his security. 

I see him first, and say “Oh my god.” I then look over at my friends and say it a bit louder. I look back to watch him walk by - I had stuff in my lap so couldn’t get up. Michael looks directly at me and heads over.

“Hello, darling. What you got there?”

I tell him chips from Singapore and we end up chatting about them for a few minutes. He tries them and comments on the taste. We’re surrounded by people taking photos and video and I’m still kind of like, “Is this happening?? Am I seriously talking about chips with Michael Rooker?”

I mean, people were shouting at him and handing him stuff and asking for pictures. And he just kind of waves at them and continues to talk to me about chips.

My friend steps up and he goes over to her and comments that her cosplay is amazing. They chat a few seconds and then he walks off, the crowd following him. My friend turns to me and says,”Did you see that? He touched my arm!” We both then start looking around our friends, asking if anyone got pictures of it. Thankfully someone did. My friend’s husband then runs up and is like, “Was he hitting on you?” To which I reply, no. He just wanted some chips. 

I mean, seriously... Michael Rooker totally bummed chips off me today. What on earth is my life?

[deathtoclones]

The Saga of the Ezra Miller Pic

Just to put into perspective the rollercoaster of emotions getting the photo pass for Ezra Miller was...

The website said that passes would go on sale inside the venue at 10:30 am. I got super giddy about this because as press, I can go in at 10 am. I was determined to be first in line since there were only 47 available that day. After going in, I stake out the booth, seeing no one lined up (at that point it would only be those with organizer, exhibitor or press passes), so I go to the press lounge to chill after doing one walkabout. My friend who is doing video for Comic Con pops in and we chat a bit. I keep stepping out every few minutes to see if anyone is in line and no one is.

Around 10:20 am, I stand outside the press lounge and begin gradually inching my way over there, making friends with the organizers of Comic Con Singapore and Comic Con Global on the way (exchanging business cards and the like). They too want photo passes.

At 10:30 am, we all pop up in front of the booth and were immediately surrounded by people with Star Passes behind us. We’re told that we had to wait until 11 am because only Star Pass holders could buy them at 10:30 am (which makes no sense because they get photo passes as part of their package - YOU DON’T NEED MORE PHOTO PASSES!! LET THE LITTLE PEOPLE HAVE THEM!). And then they said there is only a limited amount so there is a good chance there might not be any left.

Cue a mini-freakout and all of us being severely disappointed.

At first we were just going to give up (I already had a pass for Saturday with Michael Rooker, so at least I’d have that), but after about 10 minutes we noticed that not many people were in line and it had completely cleared out a couple minutes later. Most people over there were just lining up for the Ezra photo spot early. So we go over and wait in front of the booth, determined to be the first in line. One of the organizers asked the girls running the booth if there were any left and lo and behold - there were about 30 passes. So, for 15 agonizing minutes we stood at the front of the line chatting and checking our watches. The girls smiled and laughed with us every time we checked (which was every 2 minutes or so). Come 11 am, we hop up there and just as I'm pulling my wallet out, I hear thundering. Literally seconds later, a whole crowd of regular ticket-holders comes careening around the corner and crowding around the booth.

But it did not matter to me... I had my photo pass and a new battle buddy/friend. We kept each other entertained while waiting in line for 2 hours to take the photo and ended up chatting with his bodyguard for about 20 minutes (think it was because we were three of maybe 5 or 6 obvious foreigners in the whole line). He said Seoul was an obvious stop for them with Ezra’s love interest in “Crimes of Grindewald” being played by Claudia Kim and then asked us what was something they had to do while here - after telling him that two of us had lived in Korea for 3-10 years. So we imparted some tourist information as well as chatting about what we did in Seoul. I mentioned I was a magazine editor and spent 5-6 years solely as a music reporter. He told me to mention this to Ezra because he’d love it. I made a mental note.

We also entertained each other by singing the chorus or bits of 90s hits that we could remember (I had Sheryl Crowe stuck in my head for some reason).

The actual photo session was literally about 30 seconds. I spent two hours thinking of the two poses I wanted to do and what I wanted to say (a good journalist always prepares...) As soon as I walk in, Ezra kind of lights up (again, one of 5-6  obvious foreigners in line or could have been the Harry Potter-esque costume or just his personality) and brightly says "Hello, gorgeous!"

Yea, everything I had prepared just flew out of my head. (Bad journalist.) I walk up and hug him, then ask "How are you liking Seoul?" (Again... SUCH A BAD QUESTION! I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT THE BAND! HIS BODYGUARD TOLD ME TO TELL HIM I WAS A MUSIC JOURNALIST! WHY DIDN’T I DO THAT??) He says it's been fun. We pose for the first photo (wish I had known he was doing Blue Steel 'cause I'd have done the same). Then I completely blank on the second one and ask him what to do (which the instructions said not to do). He quickly says, "Why don't you do Pertificus Totalus and I'll go like this." *Poses* So we set up, with him telling me what to do with the wand. Picture is taken. I get another hug and then I'm ushered out. Can't remember if I said thank you or not.

And that’s that. I wish I hadn’t been so starstruck and had chatted a bit more. I tend to close up and appear standoffish when I’m really nervous - even though I clearly had a huge grin on my face the whole time. At least I have great memories.

Planning to hopefully be less frightened/starstruck fangirl and more cool entertainment journalist today with Michael Rooker. Hopefully they'll let me take my broom in with me. I have about 20 different hilarious photo poses in mind with that...

[deathtoclones]

So I know it was only 30 seconds, but he really was super sweet... called me gorgeous as I walked in and I completely blanked on what I was going to say and he had to suggest a pose even though I had just spent almost two hours in line thinking up two... Yea.. can’t you tell I’m a professional entertainment reporter??

[deathtoclones]

Hitting a Rough Spot

Ugh.

I knew being a freelancer wasn’t going to be easy. I knew there were likely to be months where money would be tight. I wasn’t expecting to hit a low. 

I mean, I have several jobs going, but still not bringing in a lot. My credit card payments are killing me but there’s no way around that, unfortunately. I’m a bit at a loss as to how to find more work - especially in writing and editing. On Friday night I was considering throwing in the towel and applying for full-time more. But then had a talk with my friend and decided not to give up just yet. But then yesterday in the midst of a horrible hangover, I started feeling everything hit me again. I refused to contact folks back and in the process made an ass out of myself with a friend who I was supposed to meet up with.

I keep telling myself not to go out and to cut back on spending. But then I tell myself just one or two beers and next thing I know, I’m out all night making an idiot out of myself. Need to stop that. No more going out. At all. Besides, I still have two costumes to finish for Comic Con next weekend.

I don’t know if it’s just because I’m unhappy with a lot of the work I’m doing. I don’t want to keep working at the hagwon. Yea, it’s only two hours, twice a week. But it’s such a pain to get there and I had hoped to take jobs that were closer to home. And I’m not making a lot and they want me to go through a bunch of stuff like show them an apostilled diploma (company lost it, so I have to get a new one... and then get an apostille, which I never had to do in the past). And at this point, I have to keep all the jobs I can because I need the money. 

*Sigh*

I’ll get through this. I’ve been through rough patches before. This isn’t the first time I’ve had financial issues. There’s no use kicking myself over not starting to seriously look for work sooner. Best not to wallow, but to keep pushing forward. The work will come. 

[deathtoclones]

Making some progress on Comic Con stuff...

[deathtoclones]

Resharing this because I updated it after I checked with immigration on the work field limitations.

Emma’s Guide to the F2-99 Visa

Hey folks!

I’ve been asked a lot over the past year about how I got my F2 visa. So I thought I would write everything down and post it for future reference. I did a short blog on it a year ago right after I got mine, but thought it might help to write a more thorough post.

I have the F2-99 visa, which is basically another way to get the F2 visa without going through the points system (F2-6). The main difference between the F2-99 and the F2-6, is that you have to continue working in the same field as your previous visa (i.e. if you were on an E2, then you have to teach English, if you were on an E7, you have to stay in that field). 

However, as long as you are still working in your previous field, if you want to add other fields as part-time or supplementary work, you do not need to ask for permission or report this. You only need to apply to change your work field if you move into another field full-time and are only working in that field and not the field you were in on the previous visa.

Now, about my specific situation - I have lived in Korea consecutively since late 2007. While I came on an E2 visa, I have been on E7 visas (Journalism & PR) since 2008, which is just a general work visa. Which could be something to keep in mind - or it might mean nothing. (May just depend on who processes your visa.) I applied for the F2-99 visa in June 2017, so I’ve been on it for roughly a year, though I didn’t technically start freelancing until January 2018 (when I left my full-time job at Yonhap News).

Anyway, to the visa requirements…

To qualify for the F2-99, you have to have lived and worked in Korea (legally) for at least 5 years consecutively on any E visa (except E9 - this visa has a different set of requirements). It doesn’t have to be with the same company. And as long as you weren’t out of the country for longer than 1 month, you can apply. If you have had a combination of visas (i.e. student visa to work visa) or have been on other visas besides the E visa (i.e. any D visa) it’s at least 7 years.

You can check with immigration for your specific situation if you aren’t sure. And honestly, I only really looked up the case for me, so I’ve got no clue all the specifics on other visa types.

For me personally - I started out on an E2 visa, but then spent the next 9ish years on the E7 visa, though I changed companies and had spells of time in between some visas where I was on a 30-day or 60-day (after it was changed) tourist visa. I’ve read that with the E2 visa, you had to transfer your visa from company to company and not done visa runs in order to qualify - but these were all posts from before I applied. I didn’t interpret the guidelines to mean this, however… I haven’t been on an E2 visa in a long time, so it could be the case. For me, that wasn’t the case and I still was able to get approved. A more specific timeline is thus:

E2 Visa - Late Oct. 2007 to end of Sept. 2008 E7 Visa - Nov. 2008 to June 2009 E7 Visa - Aug. 2009 to Aug. 2011 E7 Visa - Sept. 2011 to Nov. 2014 E7 Visa - Dec. 2014 to June 2017 (when I applied for the F2-99 visa)

I did go on visa runs for every visa, however back in the day, E7 visa holders couldn’t transfer from company to company or I hadn’t found a new company before my visa was set to expire and there was no D-10 visa at the time. (The last visa, I voluntarily let it expire and left the country for a few days to come back on a tourist visa for reasons.) And this was all before the new thing that allows you to apply for an E7 visa without leaving the country (don’t ask me about that, I haven’t done it and vaguely understand how it works). So, I’m not sure if the “same visa” (i.e. transfer from company to company and no visa runs) is just for E2 visas or if that’s not a thing. Again, I didn’t interpret it that way, but could just be me.

Okay, so once you’ve passed that milestone, here are the other requirements:

- Clean criminal record. - Scored at least Level 2 on the TOPIK I test or passed the social integration class. - Make more than the GNI announced by the Bank of Korea - just more, no specific amount (for certain types of E7 visa-holders - namely those working in the service industry - it’s 1.5 times more than the GNI). At the time I applied in June 2017, the latest GNI announced was 31 million won annually. - Have at least 30 million won in cash or assets (you or a member of your household if married).

Now, let’s break that down into the necessary documents that you should take into immigration with you.

As most of us in Korea who regularly deal with immigration are aware, a lot of situations can come down to the specific immigration worker you get that day - and usually no two workers will require the same documentation. So a good word of advice is to bring in as much documentation as you can to prove all of the above. That way it will save you time from having to go back multiple times because you didn’t have a document you may or may not need (sound advice from a friend who got the F6 marriage visa). I even brought in some of my career certificates (a form a Korean company gives you when you leave it to prove that you did work there for the period of time you say you did), even though they weren’t necessary. The worker didn’t even end up taking them.

Now, these are all the things I took with me to immigration and what requirement they were for. I brought in the originals and copies of EVERYTHING just in case. Some are just basic things that you need to bring for any visa that you apply for.

- Application - Visa photo - Passport - ARC - Valid lease contract - Latest work contract with my monthly/annual salary listed (annual income) - Income statement from the previous tax year (annual income) - Bank Statement/은행계좌잔고증명서 (cash/assets) - Key money receipt (cash/assets) - TOPIK test results (TOPIK Level 2) - FBI Background Check - Apostillized (Good Conduct) - Korean Background Check/범죄경력회보서 (Good Conduct)

A few notes…

If you have done the FBI/home country background check for a previous visa then you don’t need to bring this as it’s already in immigration records. I had to bring it since it’s not a requirement for E7 visas and wasn’t a requirement when I had my E2 visa (that was back in ancient times before you needed a health check, HIV check, interview at the consulate, etc., as well - yes, I know I’m fabulously aged). If you’ve done the FBI/home country check, all you need is a Korean background check, which is free and you can get at any large police station. I went to Gwangjin-gu Police Station and it took 5 minutes - no hassle. They even gave me two copies.

I first went to the Jongro Police Station (where I got my fingerprints for the FBI check), and they told me I didn’t need the Korean background check for the visa, thus refusing to even let me to the section of the station where I could get it done. So I then called immigration to double-check and the guy told me I didn’t need either Korean or FBI check. This was NOT true. YOU DO NEED THESE!

For cash and assets - key money on an apartment DOES count. For the bank statement, all I did was go into my bank on payday (when I had the most amount of money in my account) and asked for the form that shows how much money is in the account. (For the record, I got this about 20 minutes before my appointment at immigration.) It doesn’t have an itemized list. It doesn’t say where any of the money came from or how long it’s been in there. And the immigration worker accepted it. However, getting this form will freeze your bank account for 24 hours, so make sure to take precautions so you have money to last you during this time. (I didn’t know about the freeze, but thankfully had a credit card I could fall back on for a day.) Also, if you own property in Korea, be sure to bring in the necessary documents to show that in order for it to count for cash or assets.

The cost to switch to the F2-99 visa is 100,000 won (at least a year ago). The process was a bit more expensive for me, as I had to get an apostillized FBI check, but outside that, I paid 135,000 won total (including the TOPIK test).

And that’s about that. I started gathering all the documents in about April/May 2017 and by June 2017, I had had enough money saved up and all the documents ready to apply. This time will vary depending on what you have to get - I had to take the TOPIK and get the FBI check and save up money (ahem… and maybe borrow some from friends and family). The worker I got hadn’t processed an F2-99 before, but after about 10 minutes of going over the requirements in her computer and checking my documents, she approved me and told me to come back in 3 weeks to pick up my new ARC.

After that, I officially quit my office job in January 2018 and have been freelancing ever since.

Hope this is helpful to people. In my research about the visa, I noticed that not many had applied for it and there weren’t many up-to-date or in-depth sources on how to get it. I didn’t even know about it until one day when I was randomly checking immigration’s English guide to visas to see if anything had changed (this was apparently added/changed name/whatever in 2015).

It’s for three years (though my immigration worker gave me 2 years - bother). And it gives you a bit more freedom and security than a company-sponsored work visa. And for me, it was TONS easier than going through the point system since it would have taken me at least another year to get the points I needed - and that’s IF I went through and passed level 3-5 in the Korean government language classes. Which were near impossible for me to take as I worked (mostly) 9 hours a day, 6-7 days a week, with constantly changing weekend work schedules. And… I didn’t have to get married for it (not that marriage is bad… just if I went that route, I’d still be on a sponsored work visa…). As far as I’m aware, to renew, you just need to fill out an application, bring in a valid lease agreement and pay the fee. There is also something called a special reference letter, which I’m planning to look into once I figure out what it is.

So there you go. Emma’s Guide to the F2-99 Visa. Enjoy. 

Updated on July 3 - I added to the section on differences between F2-6 and F2-99 visa as more information was available in terms of adding/changing work fields. This is a bit confusing in the foreigners’ guide, so hopefully I cleared it up a bit.

[deathtoclones]

Emma’s Guide to the F2-99 Visa

Hey folks!

I’ve been asked a lot over the past year about how I got my F2 visa. So I thought I would write everything down and post it for future reference. I did a short blog on it a year ago right after I got mine, but thought it might help to write a more thorough post.

I have the F2-99 visa, which is basically another way to get the F2 visa without going through the points system (F2-6). The main difference between the F2-99 and the F2-6, is that you have to continue working in the same field as your previous visa (i.e. if you were on an E2, then you have to teach English, if you were on an E7, you have to stay in that field). 

However, as long as you are still working in your previous field, if you want to add other fields as part-time or supplementary work, you do not need to ask for permission or report this. You only need to apply to change your work field if you move into another field full-time and are only working in that field and not the field you were in on the previous visa.

Now, about my specific situation - I have lived in Korea consecutively since late 2007. While I came on an E2 visa, I have been on E7 visas (Journalism & PR) since 2008, which is just a general work visa. Which could be something to keep in mind - or it might mean nothing. (May just depend on who processes your visa.) I applied for the F2-99 visa in June 2017, so I’ve been on it for roughly a year, though I didn’t technically start freelancing until January 2018 (when I left my full-time job at Yonhap News).

Anyway, to the visa requirements...

To qualify for the F2-99, you have to have lived and worked in Korea (legally) for at least 5 years consecutively on any E visa (except E9 - this visa has a different set of requirements). It doesn’t have to be with the same company. And as long as you weren’t out of the country for longer than 1 month, you can apply. If you have had a combination of visas (i.e. student visa to work visa) or have been on other visas besides the E visa (i.e. any D visa) it’s at least 7 years.

You can check with immigration for your specific situation if you aren’t sure. And honestly, I only really looked up the case for me, so I’ve got no clue all the specifics on other visa types.

For me personally - I started out on an E2 visa, but then spent the next 9ish years on the E7 visa, though I changed companies and had spells of time in between some visas where I was on a 30-day or 60-day (after it was changed) tourist visa. I’ve read that with the E2 visa, you had to transfer your visa from company to company and not done visa runs in order to qualify - but these were all posts from before I applied. I didn’t interpret the guidelines to mean this, however… I haven’t been on an E2 visa in a long time, so it could be the case. For me, that wasn’t the case and I still was able to get approved. A more specific timeline is thus:

E2 Visa - Late Oct. 2007 to end of Sept. 2008 E7 Visa - Nov. 2008 to June 2009 E7 Visa - Aug. 2009 to Aug. 2011 E7 Visa - Sept. 2011 to Nov. 2014 E7 Visa - Dec. 2014 to June 2017 (when I applied for the F2-99 visa)

I did go on visa runs for every visa, however back in the day, E7 visa holders couldn’t transfer from company to company or I hadn’t found a new company before my visa was set to expire and there was no D-10 visa at the time. (The last visa, I voluntarily let it expire and left the country for a few days to come back on a tourist visa for reasons.) And this was all before the new thing that allows you to apply for an E7 visa without leaving the country (don’t ask me about that, I haven’t done it and vaguely understand how it works). So, I’m not sure if the “same visa” (i.e. transfer from company to company and no visa runs) is just for E2 visas or if that’s not a thing. Again, I didn’t interpret it that way, but could just be me.

Okay, so once you’ve passed that milestone, here are the other requirements:

- Clean criminal record. - Scored at least Level 2 on the TOPIK I test or passed the social integration class. - Make more than the GNI announced by the Bank of Korea - just more, no specific amount (for certain types of E7 visa-holders - namely those working in the service industry - it’s 1.5 times more than the GNI). At the time I applied in June 2017, the latest GNI announced was 31 million won annually. - Have at least 30 million won in cash or assets (you or a member of your household if married).

Now, let’s break that down into the necessary documents that you should take into immigration with you.

As most of us in Korea who regularly deal with immigration are aware, a lot of situations can come down to the specific immigration worker you get that day - and usually no two workers will require the same documentation. So a good word of advice is to bring in as much documentation as you can to prove all of the above. That way it will save you time from having to go back multiple times because you didn’t have a document you may or may not need (sound advice from a friend who got the F6 marriage visa). I even brought in some of my career certificates (a form a Korean company gives you when you leave it to prove that you did work there for the period of time you say you did), even though they weren’t necessary. The worker didn’t even end up taking them.

Now, these are all the things I took with me to immigration and what requirement they were for. I brought in the originals and copies of EVERYTHING just in case. Some are just basic things that you need to bring for any visa that you apply for.

- Application - Visa photo - Passport - ARC - Valid lease contract - Latest work contract with my monthly/annual salary listed (annual income) - Income statement from the previous tax year (annual income) - Bank Statement/은행계좌잔고증명서 (cash/assets) - Key money receipt (cash/assets) - TOPIK test results (TOPIK Level 2) - FBI Background Check - Apostillized (Good Conduct) - Korean Background Check/범죄경력회보서 (Good Conduct)

A few notes...

If you have done the FBI/home country background check for a previous visa then you don’t need to bring this as it’s already in immigration records. I had to bring it since it’s not a requirement for E7 visas and wasn’t a requirement when I had my E2 visa (that was back in ancient times before you needed a health check, HIV check, interview at the consulate, etc., as well - yes, I know I’m fabulously aged). If you’ve done the FBI/home country check, all you need is a Korean background check, which is free and you can get at any large police station. I went to Gwangjin-gu Police Station and it took 5 minutes - no hassle. They even gave me two copies.

I first went to the Jongro Police Station (where I got my fingerprints for the FBI check), and they told me I didn’t need the Korean background check for the visa, thus refusing to even let me to the section of the station where I could get it done. So I then called immigration to double-check and the guy told me I didn’t need either Korean or FBI check. This was NOT true. YOU DO NEED THESE!

For cash and assets - key money on an apartment DOES count. For the bank statement, all I did was go into my bank on payday (when I had the most amount of money in my account) and asked for the form that shows how much money is in the account. (For the record, I got this about 20 minutes before my appointment at immigration.) It doesn’t have an itemized list. It doesn’t say where any of the money came from or how long it’s been in there. And the immigration worker accepted it. However, getting this form will freeze your bank account for 24 hours, so make sure to take precautions so you have money to last you during this time. (I didn’t know about the freeze, but thankfully had a credit card I could fall back on for a day.) Also, if you own property in Korea, be sure to bring in the necessary documents to show that in order for it to count for cash or assets.

The cost to switch to the F2-99 visa is 100,000 won (at least a year ago). The process was a bit more expensive for me, as I had to get an apostillized FBI check, but outside that, I paid 135,000 won total (including the TOPIK test).

And that’s about that. I started gathering all the documents in about April/May 2017 and by June 2017, I had had enough money saved up and all the documents ready to apply. This time will vary depending on what you have to get - I had to take the TOPIK and get the FBI check and save up money (ahem… and maybe borrow some from friends and family). The worker I got hadn’t processed an F2-99 before, but after about 10 minutes of going over the requirements in her computer and checking my documents, she approved me and told me to come back in 3 weeks to pick up my new ARC.

After that, I officially quit my office job in January 2018 and have been freelancing ever since.

Hope this is helpful to people. In my research about the visa, I noticed that not many had applied for it and there weren’t many up-to-date or in-depth sources on how to get it. I didn’t even know about it until one day when I was randomly checking immigration’s English guide to visas to see if anything had changed (this was apparently added/changed name/whatever in 2015).

It’s for three years (though my immigration worker gave me 2 years - bother). And it gives you a bit more freedom and security than a company-sponsored work visa. And for me, it was TONS easier than going through the point system since it would have taken me at least another year to get the points I needed - and that’s IF I went through and passed level 3-5 in the Korean government language classes. Which were near impossible for me to take as I worked (mostly) 9 hours a day, 6-7 days a week, with constantly changing weekend work schedules. And… I didn’t have to get married for it (not that marriage is bad… just if I went that route, I’d still be on a sponsored work visa…). As far as I’m aware, to renew, you just need to fill out an application, bring in a valid lease agreement and pay the fee. There is also something called a special reference letter, which I’m planning to look into once I figure out what it is.

So there you go. Emma’s Guide to the F2-99 Visa. Enjoy. 

Updated on July 3 - I added to the section on differences between F2-6 and F2-99 visa as more information was available in terms of adding/changing work fields. This is a bit confusing in the foreigners’ guide, so hopefully I cleared it up a bit.

[deathtoclones]

Once again forgot to get a lot of photos, but at least I got one full shot of my Rey...

[deathtoclones]

Head Spinning

I feel like I’m playing catch-up after this weekend...

Had the Star Wars party on Saturday, so that pretty much dominated all my time on Saturday and most of Sunday between picking up the sets and props, setting it up, tearing it down, tracking down lost/stolen props, and returning everything. I ended up at the venue until about 6 a.m. because that’s how long we had people there (and there was still a huge group watching the football game when I left).

On top of that, my corporate client sent me the monthly video stuff on Thursday that I had zero time to work on - due tomorrow by noon. Then they called Thursday afternoon and asked me to come down to their offices on Friday to work on another (last minute) project that was due today. That took up literally all day on Friday. I got some of it finished yesterday, but still had to get up at 7 a.m. to finish it up and send it off.

Not to mention, we’re in the middle of getting the magazine ready for print. So all day yesterday I was getting messages from the designer and publisher that I honestly had to ignore because I had the corporate client to worry about. Now I’m finally going through all of the spreads, tracking down photos and getting my last article written and posted.

AND ON TOP OF THAT, we’ve started the planning process for our travel project. So had to go over the draft proposal and still need to find more potential locations to add to the list. And then find sponsors and talent...

And I finished the novel, so I’m now entering “prepare for publishing” stage. I’ve got to go through and break it down into chapters, edit and do some rewrites. Then hire editors to go through and edit it (which could involve more rewrites). I’ve already got the designer working on the cover design. I’m planning to self-publish by the end of the summer.

My apartment is a wreck. I finally got around to unpacking everything from the party on Saturday and doing the dishes, but I have a pile of trash/recycling that needs to be taken out. My bedroom needs to be swept and mopped and all my dry clothes need to be put up. The office is a bit of a wreck as well, and I need to clean out the litter box. Also, I dropped my phone again and added more cracks to the already pretty cracked screen, so definitely need to get to the Apple AS center in Yongsan this week if I want to be able to see anything.

Gah... I feel like a chicken running around with its head cut off. Also, how am I supposed to find more paid work when I barely have time... And how is it only 10:30 a.m.? I feel like I’ve already done a million things this morning... I need a nap...

[deathtoclones]

Guys...

[deathtoclones]

Star Wars Party!

So we’re not ready to post the event yet - still finalizing the details - but Star Wars fans in Seoul, we’re doing a party just for you.

May 26 at Sonnendeck in Itaewon from 9:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. Come in costume. Get some fun Star Wars drinks. Perhaps get to see some fun Star Wars burlesque (yes, I know... It’s a thing and I’m super curious/excited to see this).

We’re celebrating the release of the new Han Solo movie, which I had completely forgotten about, but will end up seeing just because I feel like I’m invested in the franchise at this point and must see them all.

And I’m doing the party, so you know it’ll be fun. ^_^

[deathtoclones]

Harry Potter Party was a blast! Folks loved my Hannah Abbott/Hufflepuff spring dress. There were way too many inappropriate HP puns (most involving Neville Longbottom and Oliver Wood). I was on a search for Neville but never found him. But found a George, so win? I want to make another costume now...

[deathtoclones]

Harry Potter Party is coming up next weekend and while the rest of my friends are trying to throw together Hogwarts uniforms, I’m over here making a Hufflepuff spring dress with matching hat... And we’ll have all the houses represented - Gryffindor friend is going at Harry Potter, Ravenclaw friend as Luna Lovegood, Slytherin friend as Pansy Parkinson and I’m Hannah Abbott.