The last step...

I've taken the last step... applying for my visa... it feels so nice to have all of my paperwork finished (well, at least out of MY hands, I'm still waiting for my visa to return)...

Originally, I was going to personally drive the application to Atlanta, which is about 7 hours from me, to be sure that I got it in a timely manner. After talking to a few people though, they pretty much guarantee that it will only take about 3-5 business days. So I decided to mail it out via USPS expedited mail. Seeing as I have 18 days left (but not all business days), I think I'll be OK. I'm really hoping that I have it back by Friday.

It was really interesting to try to figure out what I needed to apply. A lot of the people on the FB group have been saying that all they took to the consulate was their passport, their NOA and their contract. So that's what I was going to send. I'm glad that I looked a little further into it though, because I would've been sending a lot more paperwork in and wasting a lot of time. I checked on the Atlanta consulate's website, and they have an entire list of stuff you need to send with your application. I even called to make sure the list wasn't outdated, but it definitely wasn't and they definitely expect to have all this paperwork with your application. To apply at the Atlanta consulate, you'll need:

• Visa application
• Recent passport photo
• Passport (yes you have to mail in your actual passport)
• Contract (must be signed by you, but not signed by your employer)
• NOA
• Sealed transcripts OR notarized copy of your diploma (not a copy of your notarized diploma) (I chose to send my sealed transcript because I didn't know if getting my diploma notarized in a different state than it was issued would be OK)
• Consul checklist (you have to email for this form)
• Health statement (you have to email for this form as well) 
• Resume (including any and all teaching experience as well as any past visits to Korea) (I was pretty dumbfounded by this, I don't know the relevance, but I just printed out my regular resume)
• Money order for $45 (payable to Korean Consulate)
• Prepaid return envelope (with tracking number)

So the moral of the story is check with the individual consulate you are applying through. They may ask for different paperwork than the other consulates, so you can't go by what others have done.