Immigration
An alphabet of visa categories with a points-based skilled route
The Immigration Act runs a detailed lettered visa system. E-series visas cover employment, D-series study and investment, and F-series long-term residence, with F-2 points-based residence and F-5 permanent residence.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Administered by the Korea Immigration Service under the Ministry of Justice.
- Deadline — Alien registration within 90 days of entry for stays over 90 days
- Deadline — Report of change of address within 15 days
Governing law
- Immigration Act
- Act on the Employment of Foreign Workers
- Nationality Act
In practice
The E-7 skilled worker visa is employer-tied and requires a matching job classification, while the E-9 non-professional visa operates through a government-to-government Employment Permit System with limited job mobility. The F-2-7 points route allows a move to residence status based on age, income, education and Korean proficiency, and after sufficient time an F-5 permanent residence. Naturalisation requires residence, language and civics testing, and Korea permits dual nationality only in narrow cases.