By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Wendy Palomo from the Philippines

I've been living in Seoul for more than 10 years and my Philippine husband has been on an E7 visa since he first came to Korea more than 12 years ago. We didn't expect to stay here this long and contemplation of returning home to the Philippines used to be an annual ritual for us. We had seriously planned on going home last year and arranged a school for our two sons. So we were ready (kind of).

Factors that made it more favorable for staying in Seoul won out, however. So we made the decision to stay and the boys were so happy that they got to keep going to their school. This made my husband think about applying for the F5 visa, or permanent residency.

But my husband doesn't speak fluent Korean. Will he qualify?

Yes.

He worked in Korea for more than 10 consecutive years on the same E7, and this made him eligible for the F5 without proof of Korean proficiency.

What other documents did he need?

* Application form (Integrated Application Form - Appendix Paper No. 34 here) – The first form you see on the webpage link
* Employment certificate
* Salary history – To show financial self-sufficiency
* Tax returns
* Bank statement
* Criminal background check - Must be apostilled by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs and authenticated by the Korean Embassy in Metro Manila
* Housing contract - The apartment we lived in was leased under a contract between my husband's company and the building owner. My husband also submitted a gas bill under his name to prove that we lived there.
* School transcripts - He submitted these without apostille or authentication from the Philippines.
* Letter of guarantee (from a Korean)
* Letter of recommendation – He obtained five letters but Korean immigration has no guideline on how many is needed.
* Fee of KRW 230,000

My husband eventually received his F5 in the middle of last year.

While an E7 holder, which he used to be, is strictly limited to working for the visa-sponsoring company, the F5 eliminates many restrictions on working in Korea for a non-citizen.

Please remember, however, that the granting of the F5 can vary depending on the individual case as well as the immigration officer. My husband's experience and the checklist above should thus serve as general guidelines only.

wisdom117@korea.kr

* This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.