Today, I'd like to share a story about a Vietnamese female student who faced two consecutive rejections for an E7 visa over a span of three months. Ultimately, with our assistance, she managed to obtain the E7 visa.
In fact, this student had approached me three months ago to apply for an E7 visa through her company.
However, at that time, her D10 visa was about to expire, so we initiated the process for extending her D10 visa. After receiving the extension approval for her D10 visa, we proceeded with the E7 visa application. Unfortunately, due to two previous rejections for the E7 visa, we realized that we needed to strengthen her eligibility requirements for a successful outcome. I invested significant effort in this regard.
For the applicant, we gathered every possible career certificate, and we suggested additional documents that could potentially enhance her application, beyond the TOPIK scores and certificates already provided.
As for her company, we were waiting for documents that could add weight to her application. With the expectation that her company would soon obtain these documents, we waited and then apply.
※ As for her company, it was a newly established corporation, and upon examining the financial statements, there was no operating profit. Additionally, since it was a new corporation, the value-added tax certificate had also not been issued.
Therefore, we waited until two specific documents were issued: 1) financial statements showing operating profit, and 2) the value-added tax certificate. We waited until these documents were issued, which happened in July for the first half of the year, before proceeding with the E7 visa application.
※The reason for requiring financial statements and a value-added tax certificate during the immigration process is to evaluate whether the company is a legitimate entity capable of sustaining its operations, among other considerations. This requirement is not arbitrary; it is a necessary step to assess the company's stability.
If these aspects are not adequately demonstrated, it would be difficult to grant approval.
Therefore, when applying for an E7 visa, one must consider the perspective of the immigration officer.
With that in mind, we attached additional documents that could earn additional points in the assessment process to maximize our chances. However, despite our efforts, an unsettling feeling remained.
In the case of the E7 visa, once rejected, subsequent applications from the same applicant and company combination are often rejected again. Unless there's a significant change in the applicant's or company's situation and substantial evidence is provided to counter the grounds for rejection, approval is nearly impossible.
The applicant also struggled with hope for the issuance of the E7 visa, but ultimately, it seems that deep down, she believed it would be difficult to obtain approval. In fact, she enrolled in graduate school before even knowing the outcome of the visa application. This Vietnamese female student had completed a four-year university degree (bachelor's) in Korea and already held a D10 visa. Somehow, she desired to extend her stay in Korea and registered for graduate school, intending to apply for a D2 (student) visa again.
Truthfully, I was also filled with anxiety. On the day I went to collect the application confirmation document, I was extremely tense. It felt as though I was taking a crucial exam, and the results were about to be announced.
※ When administrative agents utilize the immigration service's complaint handling desk, they usually visit three times.
1. they submit the visa application and receive an acknowledgment of receipt, with a stamp on the agency's application form.
2.Then, following the Seoul Immigration Office's timeline, visa extensions take about 2 weeks, and visa changes take about 3 weeks. After this period, they return to immigration to receive the application confirmation document (receipt).
3. The application confirmation document includes information about the date to collect the foreigner registration card or mentions that further notification will be provided.
So, if the application confirmation document indicates a date to collect the foreigner registration card or mentions further notification, and if no contact has been made by the time the expected communication arrives, applicants should revisit immigration 1 to 2 weeks later to confirm the approval status. If approved, they can then collect their foreigner registration card.
The application confirmation document indicated that a recommendation letter from the Ministry of Health and Welfare (a supplementary document) should be obtained.
※ If the application confirmation document lists a supplementary document, the supplementary period is also mentioned.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare takes 10 days to process the recommendation letter from the submission date, and the supplementary period was two weeks.
I urgently contacted both the company and the applicant to request the necessary documents for the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Since the applicant was located in a different region, we had to rely on postal services, which left us with limited time.
Moreover, all documents related to the applicant's qualifications, submitted to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, needed to be stamped with the original company seal. This process involved the following steps: Applicant → Company → Administrative Agent → Ministry of Health and Welfare. Mailing the documents in this manner made meeting the two-week deadline challenging. Given the situation, I explained the circumstances to the responsible party and requested a slight extension of the supplementary period.
After applying for the recommendation letter, my anxiety resurfaced. "What if it's not issued?" I, too, worried excessively. On the 9th day, I called the Ministry of Health and Welfare to ask if the recommendation letter had been issued. The staff confirmed that it had been issued and sent by mail yesterday.
※ Receiving a request for supplementary documents at immigration shouldn't be cause for alarm. In my experience, this can actually be seen as a positive signal. It might suggest that, with these documents, approval could be granted. Of course, this doesn't guarantee issuance, but it's a positive sign.
Thus, after considerable effort, I obtained the recommendation letter and submitted supplementary documents at immigration. However, I still felt uneasy. "What if it's still not issued?"
In the same mindset as the applicant, I checked the expiration date of the residence qualification on HiKorea before receiving official notification of approval.
Finally, I confirmed that the E7 visa (1 year) had been granted.
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