CONSULAR FOCUS: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA Street Address:
United States Embassy
Consular Section
82, Sejong-Ro
Chongro-Ku
Seoul, Korea 110-050
The consular section's entrance is on the building's south side. The immigrant visa section and the INS are on the third floor and the nonimmigrant visa section is located on the second floor.
Mailing Address:
United States Embassy
Consular Section
Unit 15550
APO AP 96205-0001
Telephone: (82)(2)397-4114
Fax: Nonimmigrant Visa Section - (82)(2)725-6843
Immigrant Visa Section - (82)(2)397-4214
Immigration and Naturalization Service - (82)(2)720-7419
Web Site: None listed on State Department home page
E-mail: Each consular officer has e-mail. E-mail addresses are formed using up to the first eight letters in the officer's last name plus first initial plus middle initial. For example, Jane B. Doestein would be doesteinjb@seoulwpoa.us-state.gov.
Lawyers: Visa applicants are permitted to have their attorneys with them at their interviews. However, consular officers are permitted to request that an attorney remain silent during the interview and save any comments for after the interview.
Nonimmigrant Visas:
Walk-in applications are accepted at the consulate Monday through Friday between 8:30 am and 12:00 noon. Applicants may also drop off visa petitions between 9:30 am and 11:30 am and between 1:30 and 4:00 pm. Dropoffs are available for visa revalidations, travel agent applications and E, H, L, O, P, Q and R visas. Visas are available for pickup in the afternoons between 1 pm and 4 pm.
Most nonimmigrant visas are issued without an interview request (about 3/4). This is the case for most applications filed through travel agents as well as applications for E, H and L nonimmigrant visas. The consulate will also normally waive interviews in the following types of cases:
-F-1 extension applications if the student is continuing in the same academic program as approved in the initial F-1 application.
-Tourist applications for persons over age sixty
-F-1 students at universities seeking to attend English as a Second Language training
-new visas for persons who have visitor visas that expired in the last year
-participants in American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM), University and Business Referral programs.
Other applicants must set up appointments by calling 700-2510 (the call will cost you a small amount). Use that number to change appointments and inquire on the status of a visa. Students may apply on a walkin basis except during certain peak periods.
Applicants refused a visa must make later applications via drop off and should include a letter of explanation stating what factors were not considered in the initial application. A shipping label should be included with reapplications.
E visa applications typically take three to six weeks for review. For students, changes in the US from B to F-1 visas are viewed with considerable suspicion. Such applications should be fully explained. Seoul does not destroy applications after a year as other consulates do so be careful not to state anything on an application you are not prepared to defend later.
For visitor visa applicants, it may be helpful to document all departures and arrivals in Korea (via a "Kimpo Check") to show the amount of time spent in the US.
The overall approval rate for nonimmigrant visas is about 2/3.
Immigrant Visas
Interviews for persons outside Korea are typically scheduled at the end of the month and notification is given at the beginning of the month. Expect the Packet 4 materials to be sent three to four months after the consulate receives your Packet 3 (this is somewhat longer than most countries). Interviews are conducted in the morning and, as a Korean interpreter is on staff at the consulate, it is not necessary to bring your own.
For persons who have never resided outside of Korea, Part I of the Form OF-230 only needs to be submitted at the time of the interview. Korean law requires all would be immigrants to obtain an immigrant passport and a copy of the identification page must be submitted with the Packet 3 immigration materials. To get this passport, submit a copy of the Packet 3 cover letter to the Korean Foreign Affairs Ministry or, in the cases of Koreans married to US citizens, submit a copy of the marriage certificate. Applicants can also obtain immigrant passports at Korean consulates around the world.
To get a Korean police clearance, submit Form SEO-11 to the US Consulate. This form will be included in Packet 3. Note that processing of the police clearance can take more than two months. To speed things up, the US Consulate recommends attaching an untranslated copy of the applicant's Korean Family Census Register.
The US Consulate is somewhat quirky in employment cases as well. It often sends form SEO-46 directly to employers to verify employment and processing of the case cannot be completed until either the employer or the attorney sends the document back. It is also not unusual for the consulate to request extensive supporting documentation, sometimes more than what was previously sent to the INS.
In addition to all of the regular documents requested in the Packet 3, be prepared to have old passports with previous visas, old passports for spouses (if the applicant is not applying at the same time as the spouse), copies of the current and prior visa petitions and any other US immigration-related documentation. If you need to prove you were in Korea and not the US at any given point, you'll need to have a Kimpo Check which can be obtained from the Seoul Immigration Office, Ministry of Justice, 319-2, Mok-dong, Yang-chun-ku, Seoul, Korea (telephone 653-3040).
The overall approval rate in immigrant visa cases is high - close to 90%.
Medical Examinations
Five hospitals - two in Pusan and three in Seoul - are approved to administer immigrant visa medical examinations. You will receive the addresses and phone numbers for these facilities along with Packet 3. Unlike most US Consulates, Seoul allows applicants to take the medical exam anytime after receiving the immigrant passport. Note that the consulate suggests allowing up to a week to receive a fully processed medical examination.
1997 Holiday Schedule
New Year's - January 1 and 2
Martin Luther King Birthday - Third Monday in January
Seol-Nal - February 7
President's Day - Third Monday in February
Children's Day - May 5
Memorial Day - Last Monday in May
Korean Memorial Day - June 6
Independence Day - July 4
Korean Constitution Day - July 17
Labor Day - First Monday in September
Korean Thanksgiving Days - September 15, 16, 17
National Foundation Day - October 3
Columbus Day - Second Monday in October
Veterans Day - November 11
Thanksgiving - November 27
Christmas - December 25
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