Document adventures and the path to getting a visa
Going abroad may seem very exciting at first, but getting there may take a while and drive you crazy.
1.) You will spend a lot of money (sending documents in the mail, doing fingerprint cards, getting apostilles...)
2.) You will be required to go to a lot of places
3.) Contact a lot of people
4.) and do a lot of waiting
I applied through GEPIK which is a program in South Korea. So SLS majors in Hawaii, I hope this will help you, and good luck!
1. If this semester is your last and you're graduating soon, you can start applying for EPIK, TALK, GEPIK, etc. Those who graduate can sign up for GMSC Recruiting Co.
2. 2 recommendation letters (from your favorite teachers/advisors in the SLS department) and it has to include:
-company logo
-referer's name
-contact info (tel # and e-mail address)
-relationship between you and referer
-how long have you known each other
-reasons for recommending you as a teacher
-dated and signed
-at least 5-7 sentences
3. fingerprint cards: These are required for doing an FBI criminal record check. If you are clear of any criminal records, like DUI's then you're safe. Schools will not hire teachers with any kind of record.
-Go to the Hawaii Criminal Justice to get your fingerprinting done. It's $15. You can download the form below.
-Mail the fingerprint cards along with the payment form from this link:
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/background-checks/submitting-an-identification-record-request-to-the-fbi
Then mail it to:
FBI CJIS Division –
Record Request
1000
Custer Hollow Road
Clarksburg, WV 26306
Where to go for fingerprint cards:
Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center
Kekuana'o Building
465 S. King St. Room 102
(808)586-3111 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (808)586-3111 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
(They require you to make an appointment first for fingerprinting. Those who drive, bring coins for parking meters.)
1.) You will spend a lot of money (sending documents in the mail, doing fingerprint cards, getting apostilles...)
2.) You will be required to go to a lot of places
3.) Contact a lot of people
4.) and do a lot of waiting
I applied through GEPIK which is a program in South Korea. So SLS majors in Hawaii, I hope this will help you, and good luck!
1. If this semester is your last and you're graduating soon, you can start applying for EPIK, TALK, GEPIK, etc. Those who graduate can sign up for GMSC Recruiting Co.
2. 2 recommendation letters (from your favorite teachers/advisors in the SLS department) and it has to include:
-company logo
-referer's name
-contact info (tel # and e-mail address)
-relationship between you and referer
-how long have you known each other
-reasons for recommending you as a teacher
-dated and signed
-at least 5-7 sentences
3. fingerprint cards: These are required for doing an FBI criminal record check. If you are clear of any criminal records, like DUI's then you're safe. Schools will not hire teachers with any kind of record.
-Go to the Hawaii Criminal Justice to get your fingerprinting done. It's $15. You can download the form below.
-Mail the fingerprint cards along with the payment form from this link:
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/background-checks/submitting-an-identification-record-request-to-the-fbi
Then mail it to:
FBI CJIS Division –
Record Request
1000
Custer Hollow Road
Clarksburg, WV 26306
Where to go for fingerprint cards:
Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center
Kekuana'o Building
465 S. King St. Room 102
(808)586-3111 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (808)586-3111 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
(They require you to make an appointment first for fingerprinting. Those who drive, bring coins for parking meters.)
i-chrc.pdf | |
File Size: | 10 kb |
File Type: |
After recieving your FBI CRC in the mail you will need to get it apostilled through a company that delivers it fast. The company I went through is E&G Visa Services. The only thing about this company is that it's expensive, and very hard to get a hold of a representative. So if you go through this company this is the price you will need to pay.
US Dept of State $8
E&G Service Fees $30
Messenger fee $25
Fedex fee to Hawaii $41
Credit Card 4% convenience fee $4.16
total $108.16
E&G Visa Services phone:(202)277-1669
522 Nelson Street fax:(301)294-8064
Rockville, MD 20850 e-mail:[email protected]
webite:ewww.egvisaservices.com
US Dept of State $8
E&G Service Fees $30
Messenger fee $25
Fedex fee to Hawaii $41
Credit Card 4% convenience fee $4.16
total $108.16
E&G Visa Services phone:(202)277-1669
522 Nelson Street fax:(301)294-8064
Rockville, MD 20850 e-mail:[email protected]
webite:ewww.egvisaservices.com
4. Transcripts
Get the transcripts after graduation, but you have to wait after 8 weeks or after record processing.
5. Graduation Verification Letter
Visit your advisor in the college department (College of Arts and Sciences in UH) and request for a letter to verify that you have already graduated. My recruiter spicifically told me that there can't be any future tenses, just something like...(your name) has graduated on (grad date) and is awarded her/his diploma in (major and degree). Because the diploma will take like maybe 10 weeks, the graduation verification letter is the safest thing to have while preparing for your documents.
6. TEFL Certificate
Notaries and getting Apostilles
Before you get an apostille for your documents you have to get it notarized first. You can go to your bank (mine is BOH) to get it notarized or an affidavit, which is swearing in front of the person notarizing that the documents are legal and then you sign it, then the notary signs.
Apostille
After getting your documents notarized you can go to the State Capitol which is where the LT. Governor Brian Schatz works. You can print out a form below. For the document that you want an apostille for you pay $1 to the lady at the back desk. (Bring coins in case you decide to park in meters. I usually park at the Hawaii Justice Data Center and cross the road. Meters are good for an hour >.<)
Office of the Lieutenant Governor
415 South Beretania St., 5th Floor
Honolulu, HI 96813
phone: (808)586-0255 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (808)586-0255 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
The documents that are needed for an apostille are:
1. FBI criminal record check (results)
Get the transcripts after graduation, but you have to wait after 8 weeks or after record processing.
5. Graduation Verification Letter
Visit your advisor in the college department (College of Arts and Sciences in UH) and request for a letter to verify that you have already graduated. My recruiter spicifically told me that there can't be any future tenses, just something like...(your name) has graduated on (grad date) and is awarded her/his diploma in (major and degree). Because the diploma will take like maybe 10 weeks, the graduation verification letter is the safest thing to have while preparing for your documents.
6. TEFL Certificate
Notaries and getting Apostilles
Before you get an apostille for your documents you have to get it notarized first. You can go to your bank (mine is BOH) to get it notarized or an affidavit, which is swearing in front of the person notarizing that the documents are legal and then you sign it, then the notary signs.
Apostille
After getting your documents notarized you can go to the State Capitol which is where the LT. Governor Brian Schatz works. You can print out a form below. For the document that you want an apostille for you pay $1 to the lady at the back desk. (Bring coins in case you decide to park in meters. I usually park at the Hawaii Justice Data Center and cross the road. Meters are good for an hour >.<)
Office of the Lieutenant Governor
415 South Beretania St., 5th Floor
Honolulu, HI 96813
phone: (808)586-0255 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (808)586-0255 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
The documents that are needed for an apostille are:
1. FBI criminal record check (results)
apostille-certification_application.pdf | |
File Size: | 140 kb |
File Type: |
7. Updated CV/resume
8. Updated Cover letter
9. Valid passport
10. 6 passport photos
Passport photos can be taken at the Campus Center. I got 6 pictures and since they are in pairs I paid $23 for them. Students might have a discount, I think.
11. Visa
To get a teaching visa (E-2) I had to wait for my recruiter to give me a visa issuance code, the school's address and the school's phone number. Processing takes about 2 business days. You will also need:
- the visa form below
- a passport photo
- a photocopy of your passport (valid within 6 months)
- $45 for processing fee (cash or money order)
8. Updated Cover letter
9. Valid passport
10. 6 passport photos
Passport photos can be taken at the Campus Center. I got 6 pictures and since they are in pairs I paid $23 for them. Students might have a discount, I think.
11. Visa
To get a teaching visa (E-2) I had to wait for my recruiter to give me a visa issuance code, the school's address and the school's phone number. Processing takes about 2 business days. You will also need:
- the visa form below
- a passport photo
- a photocopy of your passport (valid within 6 months)
- $45 for processing fee (cash or money order)
visaform--new_version-2011-08-12.pdf | |
File Size: | 69 kb |
File Type: |
12. Certificate of Residency (8802 Form)
You will need to fill out a form from the IRS to get this certificate. You will need to bring this certificate with you abroad in order to get a tax return fund from the states. If you don't bring this with you, chances are you will be paying the tax fee at your host country. You can go to the link below to download the form from the IRS site. After downloading, print out the paper, fill it out, and you can pay electronically or by check or money order.
For payment:
1. Make sure you write down the code number on the form after paying electronically. Then you can mail it to the IRS.
For payment:
1. Make sure you write down the code number on the form after paying electronically. Then you can mail it to the IRS.
http://www.irs.gov/instructions/i8802/ch01.html#d0e224
https://www.pay.gov/paygov/forms/formInstance.html?nc=1355398368853&agencyFormId=12164322&userFormSearch=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pay.gov%2Fpaygov%2FkeywordSearchForms.html%3FshowingDetails%3Dtrue%26showingAll%3Dfalse%26sortProperty%3DagencyFormName%26totalResults%3D1%26keyword%3D8802%26formAction%3DGo%26ascending%3Dtrue%26pageOffset%3D0
IRS site
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8822.pdf
http://www.irs.gov/
f8822.pdf | |
File Size: | 75 kb |
File Type: |