I am an F-3 visa holder (Dependent’s Visa) since I came to Korea in 2006. My F-3 visa is courtesy of my husband’s E-7 visa, being his dependent spouse. My sons also got an F-3 visa until they were granted an F-2 visa after my husband got his F-5 visa (permanent resident visa).

What happens to my F-3 dependent’s visa after my husband was granted an F-5 visa? Immigration laws require that I apply for an F-2 visa, or else I will be penalized. Unlike my sons whose application breezed through with their F-2 visa application, my requirements as a spouse were more stringent. It is necessary to have my husband with me during my application. However, I lacked several documents the first time we submitted the application. My husband informed the Immigration Officer that he cannot be with me when I go back as he is always traveling out of the country. The Immigration Officer noted that down so it wasn’t a problem during my return to submit the complete application.

These are the requirements I needed to submit:

• application form (Integrated Application Form – Appendix Paper No. 34 here) – It is the very first form you see on the webpage link
• photo 
• photocopy of my passport
• surrender my Alien Registration Card – Immigration Officer will give you a legal document “Certificate of Application for Permit to Stay” which you need to show upon claiming of new ARC
• Letter of guarantee – there is an official form from Immigration that needs to be filled out. My husband, the F-5 visa holder, was my guarantor
• Personal Details Form for F-2-3 visa – this form must be filled out by the applicant (ME). There is an official form from the Immigration website. This form has an English translation so it was easy for me to fill it out.
• 초청장 (Invitation Form) – this form must be filled out by Invitor (my husband). The form is all in Korean so we had to ask help from a friend for translation. The questions are personal like how did we meet, if each of us had been married before, my parents and brother’s information, my husband’s salary, how big and how many bedrooms our house has, etc. Patiently (repeat! patiently) answer all the questions even if you feel like the questions are irrelevant to your circumstances.
• housing contract – my husband requested for house contract to be under his name when we moved to a new apartment last August
• health check – my husband was not required for a health check during his F-5 visa application. But he is required to have a health check with me for my F-2-3 application! The health check should include the following:
  • mental illness
  • tests for Sexually transmitted diseases and HIV
  • tuberculosis
  •  and other common tests like hearing, eyesight, blood pressure
• NBI clearance to prove your lack of criminal record –  this was apostilled by the Department of Foreign Affairs in the Philippines and was authenticated by the Korean Embassy in the Philipines
• photocopy of the passport of the F-5 visa holder (my husband)
• photocopy of my husband’s ARC
• Certificate of employment of my husband
• current income – you can get from the National Tax Office
• credit line – you can get from http://www.credit4u.or.kr
• marriage certificate 

I submitted other documents that may add value (but not required) to my application:

• Citation from the Seoul Government as Exemplary Member of the Seoul Community
• Registration of the Philippine Women’s Club as a non-profit organization under Korean Laws with my name as President
• Certificate showing I am an Honorary Reporter for Korea.net

Noticeably, I don’t have Korean language proficiency. In fact, most of these requirements come from my husband showing his financial capability.

It is also very important to know that applicant is not allowed to travel out of the country while application is ongoing. I submitted my application on November 26 and informed the Immigration Officer that I have a scheduled flight for our family vacation on December 15. She noted it down on my application. My card was ready for pick-up last December 7.

Why are these requirements more stringent? 

F-3 visa holders are legally not allowed to work. F-2 visa holders are legally allowed to work and are not dependent on any sponsoring company nor subject to work prohibitions.

Watch this video for more:

Related Posts:

Acquiring an F-5 visa (Permanent Resident Visa) Without Korean Language Proficiency

How do Minors of Permanent Resident Visa Holders Get the F-2 Visa?