By If you are a foreigner either coming to or currently residing in Korea, expect to be giving up your biometric data in the coming months:
Foreigners expecting to reside in Korea for longer than three months will be required to register their biometrics upon entry, the Justice Ministry announced on Thursday.
Starting Friday, foreigners planning to stay in Korea for 91 days or longer will have to register all 10 fingerprints and scans of their facial structures at their port of entry.
The new biometrics collection system is part of a revised immigration control law that passed the National Assembly in April 2010.
Some 1.1 million registered foreigners residing in Korea will be required to undergo biometric scans at immigration offices by January 2012. [Korea Herald]
12:05 am on July 1st, 2011 1
As soon as the global economy is not terrible, you’ll see the ESLer pool begin to dry up, because it is becoming too big a pain in the neck to deal with the immigration process to stay for 1 or 2 years like most do.
Having to get an FBI (federal) background check and an apostille of even your original college degree was too much a change and hastle last year so they backed it up to 2012. It is especially a pain for those already in Korea.
Now, you have this immigration change too.
With the pay as it is, I think you’ll start to see lower quality people coming over like in the IMF period with more qualified people picking a country with equal or greater pay with less application headaches.
1:58 am on July 1st, 2011 2
usinkorea, do you know how much biometric data is collected in Japan?
Do you know what other hassles exist elsewhere. Again, using Japan as an example because it’s nearby and it is held up sometimes as a better situation vis-à-vis Korea, there is the rampant issue of “no foreigners” housing restrictions, a far greater “headache” than having to go to Immigration to get fingerprinted.
I think these rules will have the opposite effect: they’re not that great a nuisance, they’re sort of expected when you apply for teaching jobs (I had to go through considerably more in order to just substitute teach for DoDDS), and so they won’t turn many quality people away.
Those who they will turn away are people who cannot or fear they cannot pass a background check or have something else going on. Some will be rejected by Immigration when they can’t get the visa, but others will self-select themselves out by not applying in the first place.
Ultimately, pay and conditions — not Immigration restrictions — will dictate what happens with the supply. Newbies who don’t have a sense of entitlement will not be deterred.
I’ve lived in Seoul off and on since I was a teenager, and I know from talking with other people that things were far more restrictive back in the day (say, before 1995). You took up to two months for visa paperwork to process, you had to leave the country for that period of time, there was no health insurance, far fewer services were available in English, etc., etc. But judging by the level of whining now compared to then, you’d think things were far worse now than before.
It’s fingerprinting. You have to do it when you go to Japan and the US as well (at least Japan, where I was fingerprinted and had my face put in a databank).
2:14 am on July 1st, 2011 3
Well-Kushibo beat me to it, because I was going to use the Japan example. Except there, you have to be fingerprinted and have your picture taken to get in *period* – not just if you’re staying 91 days or longer. If the Koreans use the quick and easy process like they are already using in Japan (at any point of entry – airport, ferry port, etc. you walk up to a machine, press both of your index fingers into two ‘tabs’ that take your prints, and a camera takes your picture simultaneously – takes less than 30 seconds), then it will be no big hassle at all. What I can see being a hassle is having to go down to Mok-dong or some such place and having to do it after the fact while waiting in a ridiculous line. I’m with UNinK on that one – staffing at those places could be better and friendlier, but then again, so could it most other countries I’ve been to as well…
4:19 am on July 1st, 2011 4
It’s no longer any fun when guys who know their stuff start posting on a comment section on a blog. This is why I go to a basketball board for serious discussions.
5:08 am on July 1st, 2011 5
#1, they’ve been saying that for decades, but nothing ever changes, with more and more applying for ESL.
By the way, the door’s wide open for you to leave NOW. Nobody’s holding a gun to your head to stay. Otherwise, shut up and keep up with the rules.
But you do remind me of this guy. Just watch this white jerk acting like if the world needs to cater to him.
http://www.chinahush.com/2011/06/27/canadian-yelling-at-chinese-train-ticket-agency/#comments
6:28 am on July 1st, 2011 6
Immigration fingerprinted the crap out of me when I was in no a student visa in 2002.
7:19 am on July 1st, 2011 7
The only thing holding up any country not currently collecting biometric data is the cost (equipment, training, maintenance, etc.).
It’s going to become more and more common around the world, so you might as well get used to it.
One other note – retinal scans are coming to an airport near you soon.
11:16 am on July 1st, 2011 8
wow guitard finally said something smart. i’m impressed
11:24 am on July 1st, 2011 9
#5 lmao at the video. what a douche. i can understand why he’s mad, (because he needs passport to board a train) but when in rome you gotta do what romans do. It’s common sense. No wonder he’s in a country he hates because he probably couldn’t get a job back in canada. Funny how all these LBHs are acting like they are all high and almighty when back home they are nothing but burgerking workers. All these LBHs dont’ realize they are fking up their country’s image.
5:36 pm on July 1st, 2011 10
Coming from a troll like you – that’s quite a compliment. Thanks.
7:39 pm on July 1st, 2011 11
I do wonder if there are provisions for SOFA A-3 holders… Perhaps this is only for the great unwashed masses.
As far as lower quality ESL’ers coming in, HOLY BALLS! Is that possible, eh?
8:44 pm on July 1st, 2011 12
With all the mentally ill foreigners entering Korea, I support this decision to take biometric data.
9:00 pm on July 1st, 2011 13
Mentally ill? or just stupid kids? Or do you mean Canadian?
9:03 pm on July 2nd, 2011 14
Well, they didn’t scan or fingerprint me when I entered this weekend, nor did I see any equipment to do so.
9:05 pm on July 2nd, 2011 15
…Then again, maybe I didn’t get to see the spooky backroom because I’m a permanent resident.