Application process for E2 visa without having an employer

Hello there,

I'm a Canadian and I'm wondering about the application process for an E2 visa. The thing is I would like to receive an E2 but without going through an employment agency. In other words, I would like to get a working visa to be legally entitled to teach in Korea, and then leave for Korea and look for a job myself.

I will be graduating this April (my final exam is on April 23), and I think I will only get my actual degree in the third week of May.

Besides the application process, I'm looking to know how long approx. the whole process will take from the time I start sending relevant documents to the time I receive the visa.

Also, is it a problem if you have not received your degree yet, but did finish all courses required in order to graduate?

Lastly, English is not my first language, but I am totally fluent in English and I will be graduating from a University where English is the language of instruction. Could that cause me any problems at all? Do they actually confirm whether you've graduated high school from an English-speaking institution?

Many thanks for your help!

 

Re: Application process for E2 visa without having an employer

It's been a while since I went through the process to get an E-2 but my understanding is that you need a sponsor - the employer - to get an employment visa.  There are (used to be) many restrictions: you need an employer to get the visa and you cannot leave that job to get another one until the current visa expires or your employer releases you.  You cannot legally work anywhere except the locations specified in the visa.

As for the actual piece-of-paper degree, you will need it or something very similar for the Korean embassy or consulate to examine and confirm.

I think you should not volunteer that English is not your first language.  I don't foresee any problems though.  I suspect that even a uni-lingual French speaker would not be refused a visa solely on the basis of places of education.  I think McGill or Universite' de Sherbrooke, for example, would be as acceptable as any university from a mostly-English-speaking province.

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To sum up, I think you will need the actual hardcopy of the degree.  To increase your options, you might consider staying in Canada until July, then come here for an ESL camp.  That's a different work visa (short term) and you could then be in-country while looking for work and an E-2 visa.

Re: Application process for E2 visa without having an employer

"I would like to get a working visa to be legally entitled to teach in Korea, and then leave for Korea and look for a job myself."

That's not going to happen.  One of the fundamental requirements for getting an E-2 visa is a copy of the contract from the employer who is sponsoring your visa.  No employer = no E-2.

Re: Application process for E2 visa without having an employer

Alright, thanks for the quick responses. However I remember reading on this forum about some people who did get a work visa enabling them to teach in Korea without having a contract with an employer in the first place.

So if the E2 visa is not the right solution, are there any other types of visa out there that could satisfy my requirements?

Many thanks

Re: Application process for E2 visa without having an employer

There are a couple options...
1) Get married to a Korean.

2) Apply for a D10 Visa....it is a "looking for employment visa" and gives you 6 months to find a job. This will give you time to shop around a bit without having to use a recruiter who'll just place you in some hole. Good jobs come up on Koreabridge all the time. You just have to be patient and, most importantly, BE IN KOREA to apply for them.

However, you'll eventually need to transfer your D10 to an E2, so be sure to get all your documents when you come here. Multiple copies...

Unfortunately, Graduating in April means you probably won't be able to come to Korea until you get your actual Diploma, then getting a copy apostilled (not the actual diploma)...which, depending on your University, could take up to 6 months. The criminal record will take about 3 months...so I suggest getting on that first.

Good luck :)