How I Got a South Korean Working Holiday Visa at 30 in One Day (Fukuoka Consulate) - (1) Planning the Schedule (1) -

Hello. This is Mizuo.

Starting from this post, I would like to write about how I obtained a South Korean working holiday visa at the age of 30, including the actual preparations and steps I took.

First of all, since the phrase "got it in one day" in the title can be interpreted in various ways, I want to clarify that right from the start. "Got it in one day"
〈I was able to receive approval for my working holiday visa (H1 visa) on the very day I applied.〉
That is why I use the expression "got it in one day." I definitely did not finish the application preparations in one day; I spent about a month preparing the application documents. (It took about two months if you include the language school application.) In this article, I would like to write about how I planned the actual schedule, what time of year is best to apply to get the visa approved, and more!

Although I wrote "got it in one day," I do not mean to say that every applicant will definitely get a visa if they follow the exact steps I took.
Results will vary depending on various factors such as age, situation, purpose, and the convenience of the consulate.
I hope this article helps resolve even a little bit of the worries and questions of those of you who are currently considering a South Korean working holiday and are reading this.

◼️ Deciding the Visa Application Date

To be honest, I don't think there is any specific day that makes it easier to get approval just because you applied on that day.
However, as someone desperate to overcome the handicap of being 30 and applying at the Fukuoka Consulate, here is what I thought about when deciding the application date...

・ I predicted that many applicants for the Korean working holiday in the 18-25 age range would be university or vocational students, so I wanted to avoid applying during the students' summer vacation period (from mid-July to around September).
⇨ If there are many applicants, the screening will likely take longer, and I felt that if my documents were lined up next to those of young people in front of the examiner, I wouldn't be able to compete (looking back, I think I was overthinking it, haha).

・ Since working holiday visas for other countries often have a set annual quota, I thought that if South Korea also had such a quota—even if it isn't publicly disclosed—it would be better to apply as early as possible.
⇨ Since I was planning to quit my job and attend a language school for one semester, I decided to choose the earliest possible time, taking into account the language school application and enrollment periods.

That is how I set my South Korean working holiday visa application date and started my preparations.😌

◼️ Planning the Schedule (Preliminary Research)

① Check the embassy/consulate that has jurisdiction over where you can apply.

✅ If you live in Japan, check the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Japan or the Consulate General that has jurisdiction over your registered address (the area of your residence certificate).
▼ You can also check via the link below ▼

② Check the required documents from the website of the embassy/consulate that applies to you.
⚠️ The application documents and precautions differ depending on the embassy/consulate. Please be sure to check the website of the relevant consulate, etc.!!

Since the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Fukuoka was the one that applied to me, I checked their official website.
▼ Link to the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Fukuoka ▼

◎ If the link doesn't work, please try searching on Google or similar for [Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Fukuoka] or [Korea Working Holiday Application Fukuoka]!
Once you are on the Fukuoka Consulate website, proceed in the order of [Visa Services] → [Visa (VISA)] → [Information on H1 Working Holiday (Tourism Employment) Visa Issuance] found in the title, and you will be able to check the required documents.

③ Check the conditions and document details.

First, let's look at the eligibility and conditions.

The above content is the eligibility and conditions at the time I applied.
⚠️ Conditions, etc., may change suddenly. I recommend that you check them until the very day you apply.
(In fact, since around October of last year, the rules have changed to allow people up to 25 years old to apply for a working holiday up to two times.)

Next, let's talk about the application method.

Unlike other consulates, the Fukuoka Consulate allows you to apply without an appointment.
However, while an appointment is not required, if there are many applicants on the day, there is a possibility that you may not be able to apply if your turn does not come within the reception hours. I recommend arriving at the consulate early when you go to apply.
(When I actually went to apply, there were many applicants, a line had formed, and the wait time was long, so I was quite anxious💦)

Finally, let's talk about the required documents.

I would like to cover the details of the documents in another article, but what is important here is that since I had already turned 30 at the time of application, I was required to create a [Statement of Purpose] in addition to the documents mentioned above.
I thought this statement of purpose would affect whether or not I would be granted the visa, so I put a lot of effort into writing it! (I will write about it in detail and post it later.)

⚠️ Conditions and other details are subject to sudden change. I highly recommend checking them until the very day you apply.

Have you been able to grasp the setting of the application date, the conditions, the method, and the required documents up to this point?😌
Since this has become quite long, I would like to set up a detailed schedule in the next article.

Thank you for reading again today.
I look forward to seeing you in the next article😊