K-VISA Introduces Refund Liability System for Marriage Visa Rejections

K-VISA, an administrative scrivener office specializing in visas for foreigners located in Seoul's Yeongdeungpo District, announced through Chief Administrative Scrivener Lee Sang-wook that it will introduce a "refund liability system" starting in October 2026. Under the system, the company will fully refund its agency fee if a visa application is ultimately rejected for reasons attributable to the company during the application process. The fee refund applies when rejection is confirmed due to K-VISA's negligence in the agency process.

The system applies to visa application work carried out after entering into an agency contract with K-VISA. Examples of covered visas include marriage visas (F-6) and work visas (E-7). However, the system is not a guarantee of visa issuance.

When preparing a marriage visa for the purpose of living together in Korea with a foreign spouse, applicants must check the documents required by each country and income requirements. Required documents also vary depending on the applicant's circumstances. Misjudging the requirements or problems with submitted documents can affect the review result.

K-VISA has established a system to clarify the scope of liability for negligence in visa application agency work, and it has also set up a system to explain relevant refund conditions before contracts are signed. K-VISA has put in place a framework to notify clients in advance of the scope of liability for its own negligence and the refund standards that may apply during visa application agency work.

Refunds apply when a visa rejection is confirmed for reasons attributable to K-VISA. Types of negligence covered include errors in document preparation, missing documents, missed submission deadlines, and mistaken judgments on application requirements. The refund conditions are met when negligence in the agency process is confirmed as the cause of the rejection.

The refund amount is the full agency fee paid by the customer to K-VISA. However, government-paid stamp duties, government-paid fees, translation costs, notarization costs, apostille costs, and postage are excluded from refunds. This is because these are actual expenses already paid to outside parties and are used as the basis for exclusion from refunds.

K-VISA also explains specific cases in which refunds do not apply. Refunds are not available when the applicant submits documents that differ from the facts, submits forged or altered documents, fails to disclose a criminal record, fails to disclose a status violation, or fails to disclose material facts that could affect the review.

K-VISA distinguished between cases excluded from refunds and the criteria used to determine whether an actual refund will be applied. If supplemental documents are not submitted within the specified deadline, the case is excluded from refunds, and refunds are also excluded if the application process is halted due to the customer's circumstances. Refunds are also excluded when a visa is rejected for reasons not attributable to K-VISA, such as changes in laws or policies. Whether a refund actually applies will be determined based on the reason for the visa rejection, the relationship between that reason and any fault in the agency process, and the contract terms, and the company said it will clearly notify customers in advance of the criteria for refund eligibility and exclusion.

The deadline for filing a refund request is within 30 days from the date the rejection notice is received. When applying for a refund, a copy of the rejection notice must be submitted. K-VISA plans to return the agency fee within 7 business days after confirming that the refund conditions are met.

K-VISA decided to specify the refund application process, applicable conditions, and excluded items in the contract. It also plans to explain refund-related details before the contract is signed.

Chief Administrative Scrivener Lee Sang-wook said that during consultations, many customers first express concern not about the visa itself but about the possibility of failure. He added that the company is responsible for document preparation and determining whether the requirements are met. He also said the company believes it should take responsibility for results caused by its own mistakes.

K-VISA said it is an administrative scrivener office registered as an immigration civil service agency and handles administrative work related to foreigners' stays in Korea, including marriage visas, work visas, permanent residence, and naturalization. The company said it plans to help customers feel at ease when entrusting their cases and look forward to the day they can be with their spouses.

K-VISA said its cumulative number of consultation cases has exceeded 8,000. It also cited first place in the foreign visa administrative services category at the "2026 Hit Brand Awards" among its accolades.

K-VISA said it operates foreign-language consultation staff capable of speaking Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, and other languages, and that they communicate directly with foreign spouses. It also said it supports document preparation needed for visa applications and provides free pre-review before visa applications.

According to K-VISA, the pre-review process checks items that require advance confirmation, such as the applicant's eligibility and submitted documents. However, it said the pre-review does not determine whether a visa will be issued and does not guarantee approval. It explained that the actual decision on whether to approve is made through the review of the relevant authorities.

Detailed conditions for applying the refund liability system are available on K-VISA's official website, and details related to the free pre-review can also be found there.

Source: TECHWORLD · Kim Kyung-ju
Original: https://www.epnc.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=408321

References

• https://www.epnc.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=408321