In order to apply for a Korean work visa, Canadians must have two documents authenticated by the government (Federal or Provincial) and stamped by the Korean Consulate in their jurisdiction. There are no alternatives for either of these requirements, Korean Immigration needs both.
Visa application policies for Canadians changed in 2021. All Canadian visa applicants must now secure a government authentication, at the Provincial or Federal level, before they acquire the Korean Consulate verification stamps. Everything is explained below.
First, you need to order and receive the physical RCMP Check. For instructions on how to order an RCMP Check > GO HERE
IMPORTANT: You must have the original RCMP check notarized in order to have it authenticated by the Provincial government (Option 1 below). To be clear, the original RCMP check needs to be notarized, not a copy of it.
Some notaries will not notarize an original RCMP check, so make sure to get confirmation from the notary before making an appointment.
After you’ve secured the notarization for the RCMP check you must have it authenticated by the Provincial or Federal governments authentication department. There are two ways to do this:
OPTION 1: Have your original RCMP check – with notarization – authenticated by your Provincial Governments Authentication Office [recommended method].
Option 2: Have your original RCMP check authenticated by the federal
governments Global Affairs Authentication Services Section (a.k.a. JLAC). Having the RCMP check notarized is not needed by the JLAC.
The JLAC takes more than 1 month to process requests. Therefore, we strongly recommend using OPTION 1 (Provincial authentication) whenever possible. Some Provincial offices will authenticate RCMP checks on the spot if you visit their office in person!
Ontario Authentication | BC Authentication | Alberta Authentication | Manitoba Authentication
*** Make sure to double check authentication policies with your respective authentication office before visiting or mailing them your documents.
After you’ve secured the authentication for your RCMP Check, you must bring, or mail it to the Korean Consulate in your jurisdiction so they can verify it with a verification stamp. Without the Consul stamp, Korean Immigration won’t process your work visa. Here’s what you need to offer the Consulate in order to secure the verification stamp.
The consulates have certain walk-in hours during the week. If you’re within driving distance, you can visit them in person to acquire the stamp, no appointment needed.
And that’s it! Your RCMP check is now ready for your work visa application.
The process for getting your bachelor’s degree ready for Korean Immigration is the exact same as the RCMP Check, there’s just one additional step; you need to have a photocopy of your degree notarized first. Here’s what you need to do:
Bring your original bachelor’s degree – the physical certificate – to a public notary, or lawyer with a notary license, and request a ‘Notarized Copy’. The lawyer/notary will make a photocopy of your degree, then sign and stamp the copy with a seal (you now have a notarized copy of your degree). Make sure to confirm payment methods before you go and bring one piece of government issued ID.
Get the notarized copy of your degree authenticated by the Provincial or Federal governments authentication department. There are two ways to do this:
OPTION 1: Have your notarized copy of degree authenticated by your Provincial Governments Authentication Office [recommended method].
Option 2: Have your notarized copy of degree authenticated by the federal
governments Global Affairs Authentication Services Section (a.k.a. JLAC).
The JLAC takes more than 1 month to process requests. Therefore, we strongly recommend using OPTION 1 (Provincial authentication) whenever possible. Most Provincial offices will authenticate documents on the spot if you visit their office in person!
Lastly, bring or mail the authenticated copy of your degree to the Korean Consulate in your jurisdiction for a Consulate Verification Stamp. Here’s what the Consulate will need:
And that’s it! Your notarized copy of degree is now ready for a Korean work visa application.
*** To save time and money, plan to have the Notarized Copy of your Degree, and your RCMP Check, authenticated at the same time, then verified by the Consulate at the same time.
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Gone2Korea is your connection to full-time teaching jobs in South Korea. Western graduates, primarily from the US, Canada, UK, and Australia, use our services to secure jobs with trusted Korean schools, and schools use our services to find and hire enthusiastic teachers from the West.
Worth noting: We’re not a job ‘sourcing’ agency or recruiter that finds new schools on the fly. On the contrary, we work with a select group of schools and programs that we know and trust.
In addition to helping you land a job, we’ll also be helping you with your work visa, departure, arrival, and offering support for the entirety of your contracted term.
Prior teaching experience and related degrees are NOT prerequisites for teaching in Korea. Here’s what you’ll need in order to qualify.
Korean schools and programs offer western English teachers highly competitive benefits packages which includes:
