What happens if I keep working after my C-4 short-term employment period ends?

If you work after your C-4 stay period ends, it is both illegal stay and illegal employment. If you are caught, you may receive a forced deportation or a departure order, and you may also be punished. It may become hard to enter Korea again later. Your employer can also be punished.

The stay period for C-4 is up to 90 days at a time. Usually, you cannot extend it beyond 90 days from the day you entered Korea. You can get an "extension for departure" only when there is a reason you cannot avoid, such as having no ship or flight to leave on.

What to do right now

1. Stop working today. The more days you work after the period ends, the worse it is for you.
2. Check your stay expiration date on your Alien Registration Card (외국인등록증) or passport.
3. If it has not expired yet, apply for an extension at your local immigration office (출입국) before the expiration date. Submit documents that show why you need the extension (such as an employment contract or a copy of the business registration certificate). But this is only possible within 90 days from the day you entered Korea.
4. If the expiration date has already passed, do not hide it. Call the Foreigner Information Center (외국인종합안내센터) at 1345 quickly, or report to immigration yourself. Reporting yourself and leaving Korea is usually less harmful than being caught.
5. If you want to keep working in Korea, leave Korea first and then prepare the right work visa. If you are a seasonal worker, look into visas such as E-8.

If your expiration date has already passed, or if you kept working for some time, the result can be very different depending on your situation. Please get a consultation with the K-VISA AI administrative agent (행정사) (the app's visa service). Check the exact details again at HiKorea (hikorea.go.kr) or 1345.