What Happens When You Leave Korea Visa Extension or Status Change Papers to a Broker: The Forged Lease Case, Penalties and Proper Residence and Balance Documents

Some international students facing an extension of stay or a change of status of stay get offers like “We’ll take care of the documents for you.” In September 2025, the result of such an offer came to light in Incheon. Using forged lease agreements sold on Telegram for about $75 (KRW 100,000) each, 133 people, including international students, applied for permits to change their status of stay or extend their stay. Of them, 59 faced deportation or a notice of fine.

Submitting forged documents is an act prohibited by Article 26 of the Immigration Act. Even if someone else made the documents, the application goes in under your name, and a permit obtained with forged documents can be revoked. This article briefly outlines the case and the legal provisions that apply, then explains how to prepare residence and financial documents properly and where you can get help legitimately. Amounts are given in US dollars first, with Korean won in parentheses (Hana Bank base exchange rate on November 3, 2026: $1 = KRW 1,341.10).

Incheon Forged Lease Case: 133 Applicants, 59 Faced Action

The Incheon Immigration Service said that on September 29, 2025, it arrested a 26-year-old Uzbek broker, identified only as A, on charges of violating the Immigration Act and forging and using private documents, and referred the case to prosecutors. Kyeongin Ilbo, Joongboo Ilbo and Jeonguk Maeil Shinmun reported the case the same day.

The buyers needed documents proving their place of residence. The forged leases were sold to fill that gap. The reports did not say how many of the 59 were deported and how many received notices of fine. The outcome for the 74 people under further investigation has not been confirmed either. An Incheon immigration official said the office regards the circulation of forged documents through social media as an illegal act that disrupts the order of stay and would expand targeted investigations.

The notice of fine is a procedure under Article 102 of the Immigration Act. If the head of an immigration office obtains conclusive evidence of an offense through an investigation, the head may notify the person in writing to pay an amount equivalent to a fine.

Provisions That Apply When You Submit Forged Documents

Article 26 of the Immigration Act prohibits submitting forged or altered documents as supporting evidence when applying for permits such as a change of status of stay (Article 24) or an extension of stay (Article 25). It also prohibits submitting an application that contains false facts. Arranging or encouraging such acts is prohibited as well. The subject of the provision is “any person.”

These penalties are statutory maximums. Actual dispositions differ from case to case. Deportation is also a discretionary provision that says the authorities “may” deport, so not every violator receives the same action. In the Incheon case, too, the dispositions were split between deportation and notices of fine.

A permit that has already been granted does not close the matter. If the forgery comes to light later, the permit can be revoked under Article 89.

Those who arrange such acts are punished, too. In July 2026, the Chuncheon District Court sentenced a 24-year-old international student indicted for violating the Immigration Act to 6 months in prison and ordered the forfeiture of about $3,130 (KRW 4,192,000). For a fee, he wrote refugee status applications containing false facts for other international students. For 4 foreign nationals, he prepared applications for permission or change of status of stay containing false facts, along with address-related documents, and had them submitted. In other words, a broker may be a fellow international student in the same situation as you.

“Someone Else Did It for Me” Does Not Work

If a broker or an acquaintance made the documents, is the applicant free of responsibility? The provisions make that hard to argue. Article 26 bars “any person” from submitting forged documents as supporting evidence. A permit obtained with forged documents can be revoked under Article 89. Even if you apply through a school staff member, the applicant is you. No matter who made the documents, the consequences stay with your own status of stay.

Preparing documents for others also requires qualifications set by law. Under Articles 2 and 3 of the Administrative Agents Act, preparing documents to be submitted to administrative agencies, preparing documents concerning rights, obligations or proof of facts, and translating documents related to the work of administrative agencies are the business of administrative agents (haengjeongsa). Except where other laws allow it, a person who is not an administrative agent may not do this work as a business. Violations are punishable by imprisonment of up to 3 years or a fine of up to about $22,400 (KRW 30 million). Only foreign-language translation administrative agents may translate documents for administrative agencies as a business for a fee.

Hiring a licensed administrative agent is legal. Even so, forged documents are just as much a problem when an administrative agent handles them. If an unqualified person offers to prepare documents for money, that in itself is a warning sign.

You Can Prove Your Residence Without a Lease Agreement

People usually look for forged leases because they believe a lease is mandatory. But for student visa (D-2) and language training (D-4) extensions, a lease agreement is not the only proof of residence. The Ministry of Justice’s manual for stay-related applications (November 2, 2026 edition) lists the following documents as well.

The list ends with “etc.” Ask your school’s international student officer or immigration first whether the name on a document and its format are acceptable and which document fits your situation. The head of the immigration office can add or remove required documents, and whether a permit is granted is decided through review.

An accommodation provision confirmation must also be truthful. A confirmation for a home where you do not actually live could become a document “containing false facts,” which Article 26 prohibits. An offer to sell you a confirmation instead of a lease carries the same risk.

When you look for a new home, make the contract itself safe. First check the rights to the property through the certified copy of the real estate register. If you go through a licensed real estate agent, the agent can carry out the checks for you. To protect your deposit, file a report of change of residence (or alien registration, if you are registering for the first time) after you actually move in, and get a fixed date stamp. Only when all of these requirements are met do you gain a priority repayment right for your deposit. The fixed date stamp is not a certification for immigration review.

When you move, meet the reporting deadline. A person who has completed alien registration must file a report of change of residence within 15 days of moving in, at the city, county or district office or the town or neighborhood community service center for the new residence, or at the immigration office with jurisdiction (Article 36(1)). The report can also be filed on HiKorea. Violating this obligation is punishable under Article 98, Item 2 by a fine of up to about $750 (KRW 1 million). It is a criminal fine, not an administrative fine. The deadline is 15 days from the day you actually moved in, not from the contract date.

How to Prepare Balance, Enrollment and Grade Documents

For a D-2 extension, you submit an application form, passport, alien registration card and fee, along with documents proving academic progress, such as a certificate of enrollment, transcript and attendance confirmation, as well as proof of finances and proof of residence. Enrollment, grade and attendance documents are issued by your school.

Financial requirements differ by status and stage. When changing to D-2 status, the bank balance certificate must be issued by a bank in Korea or abroad. It must be in the name of the applicant or a parent (or a sibling if the parents have died). If it is in a parent’s name, you must also submit proof of family relationship. It must have been issued within 30 days before the application date, and the balance must be maintained throughout the permitted period of stay. Immigration may recheck, after a time lag, a balance created by briefly depositing money and then withdrawing it. Prepare the balance with money that you or your parents actually have, and maintain it throughout the permitted period.

Extensions for language training (D-4-1, D-4-7) follow different rules. Only deposits in the applicant’s own account at a bank in Korea are accepted as proof of finances. Parents’ accounts and overseas accounts are not accepted at this stage.

Degree students at IEQAS-certified or top-tier (excellent) IEQAS-certified universities with an average grade of C or higher may skip proof of finances when extending. However, nationals of countries designated by the Minister’s notice or countries under focused management at IEQAS-certified universities are excluded. Check with your school’s international office whether your school’s rating and your nationality make you eligible for the exemption.

Documents issued abroad must carry an apostille from your home government or consular legalization from the Korean diplomatic mission there. Translations of foreign-language documents must be prepared by someone other than the applicant. An acquaintance may translate them for free, but short-term foreign visitors and foreign nationals staying illegally cannot serve as translators. Fees are not refunded once an application has been received, so apply only after all your documents are ready.

Where to Get Help

The first place to go is your school’s international office (the department in charge of international students). For language training (D-4-1, D-4-7) extensions, applicants who are not subject to in-person review, such as students enrolled at certified universities, are encouraged to apply online or through the international student officer. The officer can file up to 10 applications at once. Degree (D-2) students should also check with the international office whether their school uses this method. Practices differ from school to school, so read the international office’s notices before the extension period.

If you apply yourself, use HiKorea. E-applications are available on weekdays from 07:00 to 22:00, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. If you need to visit an immigration office, book the visit on HiKorea.

If you want to have someone prepare or translate documents for you, first check whether that person is a qualified administrative agent. If you also want them to file the application with immigration on your behalf, check whether they are a registered immigration application agency (a lawyer or administrative agent) registered with the Ministry of Justice (Article 79-2 of the Immigration Act). If you pay for a translation, check whether the translator is a foreign-language translation administrative agent. Turn down offers such as “We’ll get you a lease” or “We’ll create a balance for you,” regardless of qualifications. A foreign national applying for a stay permit must be in Korea. Leaving the country after applying may lead to a denial, and even an agency cannot file on behalf of someone who is outside the country.

Checklist Before Handing Over Your Documents

• I know that an extension or status change application goes in under my name no matter who made the documents, and that responsibility for the evidence submitted stays with me.
• I have checked whether I can use a dormitory fee receipt, an accommodation provision confirmation or a utility bill receipt as proof of residence.
• I checked the real estate register before signing a lease. Where possible, I went through a licensed real estate agent.
• I filed a report of change of residence within 15 days of the day I moved.
• If I am changing to D-2, I have confirmed that my bank balance certificate is in my name or a parent’s (a sibling’s if the parents have died) and was issued within 30 days before the application date.
• For a language trainee extension, I prepared deposits in my own account at a bank in Korea. For other extension requirements, I checked with my school or immigration.
• I obtained an apostille or consular legalization for documents issued abroad.
• If I use an agent, I checked their administrative agent qualifications and, for filing the application, their registration as a Ministry of Justice agency.

For the full extension process, see the D-2/D-4 extension of stay guide; for preparing a bank balance certificate, see the international student bank balance certificate guide; and for registration and reporting, see the guide to alien registration cards for international students.

--- Legal provisions are based on the Immigration Act (Act No. 21857, effective October 2, 2026); required documents on the Ministry of Justice’s status-specific manual for stay-related applications (November 2, 2026 edition); the Incheon case on media reports of September 29, 2025; and the Chuncheon ruling on media reports of July 10, 2026.