Visas, Flights and Jumping the Gun!

By Malaikha West, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea

Dear Readers,

As you embark upon your journey across the world, there are many things you need to consider. So many jumbled thoughts of things you need to do, applications to be submitted, payments to be made, that beginning your trip can become daunting, sometimes even stressful. Take it from me, a girl who wasted hundreds of pounds on flights I couldn’t take, and hours of time on visa applications done in the wrong way. Let me begin by saying: Write it all down. Every deadline you have before you can even leave the country. Write everything on a timeline, all of it in one place, even things that may not be related to each other, but all things you need to consider before you depart on your adventure! I made the mistake of having multiple lists of different deadlines. I booked my flights too soon, made mistakes on my visa application, and missed funding deadlines. I hope that by reading this, you will be able to have a better understanding of what to do before you leave, saving you time, money and your mental health.

1. Take your Time (appropriately)

As a British citizen, never having been beyond the borders of Europe, I had no idea about visa applications. So, upon finding out I needed a study visa for my exchange programme, I went a little crazy trying to discover all the information about it. The university gave me plenty of information about general visa applications, yet, to my utter dismay, information about a visa for South Korea in particular, was hard to find, as they had only just changed their visa system. It took hours of research to find out where I need to apply, how much the visa would cost, how to fill out the application form, and who I need to send it to. (For those lucky few who are going to Korea, I shall lay out country-specific information at the bottom of this post, so don’t worry!)

After receiving confirmation of acceptance to Seoul National University, I was excited to get a head start on applying. In my excitement to be away, I started my visa application and booked my flights. In reality, I shouldn’t have acted so hastily. It is really important that however excited you may be, you plan out your time carefully. Don’t act too quickly and miss important information, but at the same time, don’t be too slow on applying for anything you need for your year abroad. Make sure you know all the concrete facts before you come to your application.

2. (South Korean) Visa Application

In order to apply for a visa, in the case of SNU, and I believe most Korean Universities, you need a Certificate of Admission (CoA) from the university. However, rather than give you the certificate straight off the mark, like I had anticipated, the university will send you an email with a link to apply for this certificate, which may then take up to three weeks to arrive. This meant that my previously well-thought-out plan, which had banked on receiving my CoA within this email, was falling apart. I would be lucky if my visa came back in time. Furthermore, this CoA requires you to prove you have enough money for the entirety of your time abroad, as you cannot work on a student visa. Another spanner in the works. I needed to get a specific up-to-date bank statement showcasing my funds, before I could apply for even the CoA, which took around 2 days to receive, meaning more time was wasted waiting around for this. By the time my bank statement came back, I was on edge wanting to send off my CoA application. I sent it as soon as I received the statement, and then it was just another waiting game. Two weeks of waiting and worrying before I could even send off my visa.

I was due to go on a tour of Japan that I was meant to go on during my gap year but was unable to due to covid restrictions. So, I had booked my flights to Japan and this tour at the beginning of August. It had got to the second week of July, and I hadn’t even sent off for my visa, still waiting on my CoA. Best case scenario was that my visa would arrive days before I was due to leave the UK. But the likelihood was that I would leave before receiving my visa. I then thought that my parents could post my visa to Japan when it arrived, but I had forgotten the fact that I needed to send off my passport too. How was I supposed to travel without a passport?! I ended up having to move the tour to a later date and cancel my flights. I lost a lot of money on this.

3. What to look for in Long-haul Flights

The next mistake I made was being so sure that I would be leaving on time that I forgot to read carefully through the details of the flight I booked. I didn’t pay any extra to be able to change or cancel my flights free of charge, nor did I check whether changing or cancellation was even allowed. After uncovering my dilemma, I rang the flight company, only to be told that I couldn’t have any of the money I paid for the flight back, and if I wanted to change, it would cost a further £350. I was in tears, literally. I’d just spent mega amounts of money on a flight I probably wouldn’t even be able to get on, because I wouldn’t have my passport back in time. Thus, my advice to you is, pay the extra money for changeable flights, or just don’t book them until you get your visa back. Ensure that you read all, and I mean ALL, of the fine print, and check the cancellation policy. Cheapest is most definitely not always best.

4. Finally, a small run-down of the above, in time-line order

This is most directly relevant to those of you going to SNU, however, I hope the general parts can be of use to all of you.

Step 1: Check all information about what is required for your visa before you start applying for one – the best time to do this I would say is while you are filling out the UoM Go Abroad application form when you are selecting your choices. I would then do it again more specifically after you are nominated by UoM.

For South-Korea bound students, the link to the Korean Visa Application Centre is https://www.visaforkorea.eu/ – this will have all the necessary information on Korean Visas.

Step 2: The first actual thing you need to do is request an up-to-date statement from your bank – I’d suggest before the start of June. These normally arrive within the next working day. Make sure you check how much you need to prove you have for your country – South Korea is $10,000, other countries may be different.

Step 2.2 (SNU-bound students): Wait for the link from SNU to apply for the Certificate of Admission to arrive before doing anything else. For me this was in the second week of June. Once the link arrives, apply as soon as possible as the certificates are released on a first-come, first-served basis. PSA: DO NOT ask them what the status of your application is, as they mention that if you do so, they will put your application to the back of the queue – making you wait longer! (Can be up to 3 weeks)

Step 3: Apply for your Visa – make sure you follow their guidance sheets and take your time to ensure you fill out the visa application form correctly and include all the necessary documents. These will include:

• Visa Application Form
• (SNU Business Registration Number – comes with CoA)
• Certificate of Admission
• Passport
• Visa Payment Receipt
• Visa Consent Form
• Visa Waiver Courier (If you have asked for your passport back in the post!)

The above list is based on the documents I needed for my South Korea D-2-6 Study Visa – Always remember to double check the documents required for your specific country!

Step 4: Wait for Visa to arrive (approximately 2 to 6 weeks)

Step 5: Book your flights to your destination!

(Steps 4 and 5 are interchangeable – but make sure not to book your flights too close to when you may be receiving your visa)

Step 6: Board your flight with your visa in-hand and your worries left behind!

I hope that this has helped you prepare to leave, even if you are not destined for South Korea. Take what information you need, just make sure that you double check all this is still relevant and correct for your year and place of travel!

Happy Travelling,

Mallie <3
UoM East Asian Studies