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Immigration Regulations

Immigration Regulations

Important Notes

Residence Card (RC) expiration date

All international students must check the expiration date of their RC and extend their RC before it expires while studying in Korea.

Report information change

According to Korean Immigration Law, international students are required to report to the university and to the Immigration Office when their information regarding passport and/or residential address changes.

  • Updating residence address
    • You are required to report the change of your residential address every time you move to a new address within 15 days. This applies to the following situations:
      • If you used to live in the dormitory but moved to an off-campus residence
      • If you need to live off-campus and moved to the dormitory
      • If you used to live in address A (off-campus) and changed to address B (off-campus)
    • You are not required to visit the local immigration office to declare the change of address as long as you report within 15 days from your move-in date. You can fill out the application online. (*Please note that you might be fined if you do not report the change of your residence address within 15 days from your move-in date.)
    • Steps to fill out the application online
      • 1Visit HiKorea website and log in to your account
      • 2Click ‘Petition Application’ on the top left of page
      • 3Click ‘E-application’, choose ‘Address Change Declaration’ and check the checkbox at the bottom of the page
      • 4Attach the required documents
        • a. One of the following: passport / Entry Permit for Foreigners / Residence Card
        • b. Residence Confirmation / Rental Contract under your name
      • 5Submit the e-application and check your application status on MyPage
    • If it has been more than 15 days since you moved to your new residence, please visit the local immigration office as soon as possible with the following documents. (*You do not need to make a reservation in this case)
      • Application Form (*download from here)
      • Passport or Entry Permit for Foreigners
      • Residence Card
  • Updating passport information
    • You are required to report the change of your passport information within 15 days from the renewal date. This applies to the following situations:
      • Change in passport number, issuance date, or expiration date
    • Steps to fill out the application online
      • 1Visit HiKorea website and log in to your account
      • 2Click ‘Petition Application’ on the top left of the page
      • 3Click ‘E-application’, choose ‘Notification of change in registration information’ and check the checkbox at the bottom of the page
      • 4Attach the required documents
        • Application Form (*download from here)
        • Passport or Entry Permit for Foreigners
        • Residence Card

For more information, please visit the HiKorea website or contact the Immigration Contact Center via 1345 (English service available)

[법무부] IMPORTANT NOTICE Download

Extension of Stay

Expiration date check

We strongly recommend all D-2 visa holders to be aware of their visa expiration date. Students must leave Korea by the expiration date or apply for an extension of their stay.

  • Steps to check your RC expiration date
    • 1Visit HiKorea website and log in to your account
    • 2Click ‘Expiry Date Check’ at the bottom of the page
    • 3Fill out your personal information
    • 4Your expiry date of stay will be shown

Residence Card (RC) Extension

  • Required documents:
    • Application Form (download the form here)
    • Valid passport (valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of the application) or Entry Permit for Foreigners
    • 1 copy of your passport name page
    • 1 copy of your D-2 visa grant notice
    • Residence Card
    • Enrollment Verification (request through here)
    • Official Transcript via SOLAR/MyFIT (E-transcript should take less time to receive. Express Transcript may take more than a month to arrive, so please order it in advance.)
    • Proof of Residence (if you live in the dorm, you may request it to the IGC Housing Office)
    • Proof of bank account and necessary funds (10,000 USD):
      • The bank account needs to be from a Korean (local) bank and under your name
      • If you are a scholarship recipient over the amount of 20,000 USD per year, you do not have to bring other financial statements but a scholarship offer letter and Scholarship Maintenance Letter (request through the Document Request Form)
      • If your scholarship does not cover 20,000 USD per year, you need to prove the outstanding amount ($20,000 - Scholarship amount = The amount that needs to be proved)
      • If you have paid the tuition by the time you apply for the extension, you should submit the tuition receipt and the remainder of the necessary funds to your bank account. The Finance Team will send the tuition receipt via email after your payment has been confirmed.
      • You need to prove the source of funding when proving the bank statement. If you are receiving funds from your family, the Immigration Office might request the receipt of an overseas transfer/remittance slip/proof of family relations.
    • Service Charge: 50,000 KRW (cash only if visiting the Immigration Office in person)
    • If you are extending the RC due to the graduation delay at SUNY Korea, you must submit a letter from your Department Chair to explain the reason for the graduation delay and graduation plan
  • How to apply for the RC Extension

    You can either submit an e-application online or visit the Incheon Immigration Office in person by making a reservation.

    • Steps to submit e-application:

      *Please note that there is no ‘temporary save’ option, so please make sure you have everything needed when starting the e-application process.

      • 1 Visit HiKorea website and log in to your account
      • 2 Click ‘E-application’ - ‘Extension of Stay for Registered Foreigners’
      • 3 Fill out your personal information and attach the required documents
      • 4 Make the service charge payment and submit the application
      • 5 Check your text message/email frequently since you might be requested to submit an additional document during the review process
      • 6 Follow up on your application status from MyPage on HiKorea website
      • 7 Submit ‘Certificate of Permission for the E-application’ to student@sunykorea.ac.kr once your RC extension has been processed (*refer to the attached file that shows the steps to download the document)
        HiKorea Certificate of Permission for e-application Issuance Guideline Download

        Steps to make a reservation for the Immigration Office visit:

        • 1 Visit HiKorea website and log in to your account
        • 2 Click ‘Reserve Visit (apply)’ - ‘Visit Reservation Application (Member)’
        • 3 Choose ‘Incheon’ as a region and click ‘Incheon Immigration Office’ as an organization
        • 4 Fill out the application form, choose your time slot, and click ‘apply’
        • 5 Print out and bring your reservation information along with the required documents when visiting the Immigration Office

Work Permit (S-3)

As an international student with a D-2 visa, you are required to apply for S-3 if you are planning to work part-time/internship off-campus. It is required to apply for the work permit at least 2 weeks before the start date. We strongly recommend you consult with staff at the Student Services Office before starting the process.

While staying in Korea, students are required to prioritize their studies. Thus, students with D-2 visas are only allowed to engage in activities usually considered part-time jobs.

  • Eligibilities:
    • Students with one of the following visa statuses: D-2-1, D-2-2, D-2-3, D-2-4, D-2-6, D-2-7
    • Students who have spent over 6 months in Korea after entry
    • Academic requirements: cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above
    • Work hour limit:
      • Maximum 20 hours during weekdays in academic semesters
      • No limit on weekends and semester breaks
      • English proficiency qualification: TOEFL PBT 530, CBT 197, iBT 71 / IELTS 5.5 / TEPS 600 / CEFT B2 or above (*This can be waived if you hold a nationality that uses English as an official language)
  • How to apply for the Work Permit (S-3):
    • 1Visit HiKorea website and log in
    • 2Click 'Permission for Part-Time Work of International Students (D-2) and Language Trainees (D-4-1)' and check the required documents
    • 3Prepare required documents
    • 4Visit the Student Services Office (Academic Building A208) and get a signature on the application (attached file)
    • 5Upload the required documents on the online application on the HiKorea website and submit application
    • 6Check your application status from MyPage on the HiKorea website
  • For more information:
    • Attached [SUNY Korea] Part-Time Visa (S-3)
    • HiKorea website
    • Immigration Office Contact Center via 1345 (English service available)
    • Consult with SUNY Korea Student Services
[SUNY Korea] Part Time Visa (S-3) Download
Part-time work of Foreign student confirmation form Download

Mandatory International Student Advising Session

International students are required to have an advising session at least once a semester with their academic coordinator to maintain their visa status.

  • Please follow the guidelines below:
    • 1 Schedule an advising session with your department coordinator
    • 2 Print and fill out the attached International Student General Inquiry Form and bring it with you to the advising session
    • 3 Get the form signed by the department coordinator
    • 4 Submit the form to the Student Services Office (A208)
[SUNY Korea] International Students General Inquiry Form Download

Visa After Graduation

Graduated international students wish to seek employment opportunities in Korea, the student can apply for a Change of Visa Status to D-10 (employment-seeking status).

  • Eligibilities:
    • Students must have 60 or higher points from Core (20 points and above) and Non-Core Criteria combined.
    • Minimum of 6 months to 2 years of stay period may be granted.

For more information and applications, you can refer to HiKorea website or contact Immigration Office Contact Center via 1345 (English service available).