E-7 requirements, in detail

E-7 is not one visa

It is a family of sub-categories, each attached to a designated occupation code. The code is the operative thing: it defines what you may do, and doing something else — even at the same company — is unauthorised employment.

Most foreign professionals hold E-7-1. The list of codes runs to roughly ninety entries and is revised periodically — occupations are added when the labour market needs them and removed when it does not.

The qualification test

You satisfy it one of two ways.

Route A: degree plus relevance

A bachelor's degree or higher in a field matching the occupation code, plus at least one year of relevant experience for most codes. A master's or doctorate typically removes the experience requirement.

The word carrying the weight is "matching". The reviewing officer is asking whether a reasonable person would connect your major to the job. Where the connection is not obvious, an explanatory letter from the employer describing why your specific background suits the role helps — it is not required, and it works.

Route B: five years of experience

Five or more years of documented full-time work in the occupation, with no degree requirement at all. This is a genuine route, not a fallback of last resort, and it is how a lot of very capable people without a relevant degree get in.

The evidence bar is materially higher. Career certificates must state:

• Your job title and the department;
• Exact start and end dates;
• A description of your actual duties;
• The company's details and a signature or seal.

They must be apostilled, or consular-legalised for non-Hague countries. Payslips, tax records and reference letters supplement but do not substitute. If you might ever need this route, ask every employer for a proper career certificate when you leave, not five years later when the HR manager who knew you has gone.

The income floor

The offered salary must reach an annual minimum. Below it, the application is refused without further consideration.

Applies from 1 February to 31 December 2026 and is revised annually. Since April 2025 this has been a flat won figure for all employers; the earlier GNI-linked differentiation by company size was abolished. Some SME, venture and non-capital-region mid-sized employers have a separate concession.

Two structures that fail and should be renegotiated before signing:

• A probation salary below the floor. "₩28 million for three months, then ₩36 million" is assessed on the contract as filed. Ask for the full salary from day one with a probation clause that does not reduce pay.
• Salary partly as untaxed allowances. Only the contractual salary counts. A package that reaches the floor only when housing and transport allowances are included may not.

The employer conditions — where it actually fails

This is the part applicants underestimate. Even a perfectly qualified applicant with a signed contract will be refused if the sponsor does not qualify.

The national-to-foreign staffing ratio

Korean employers must maintain a minimum proportion of Korean national employees to sponsor foreign workers. The specific ratio depends on company size and sector.

The practical effect: a start-up with four Korean employees and one existing foreign hire may be unable to sponsor a second, regardless of merit or need. This is the single most common structural blocker.

Ask before you accept the offer. "How many E-7 holders do you currently employ, and how many Korean staff?" A company that has done this before answers instantly. A company that has not needs to find out — and it is far better that they find out during the offer conversation than after you have resigned from your current job.

Financial standing

The company files its most recent corporate tax return and financial statements. A newly incorporated company with no filed return is difficult, though not impossible with strong supporting evidence.

A real office

A registered address with an actual lease. Virtual offices and residential addresses are problematic, and immigration does verify.

Domestic recruitment evidence

Some codes require evidence that the role was advertised in Korea before being offered abroad. Your employer handles this, but it is worth knowing it exists so you understand why HR is asking about job postings from three months ago.

Applying: two routes

The confirmation certificate route is strongly preferable to applying cold at a consulate, because the employer's documents are assessed by the immigration office that knows the company rather than by a consular officer abroad. See the full walkthrough in D-10 to E-7.

Living with an E-7

Changing employer

You may, but the new employer must independently satisfy every employer condition, and you must file a change-of-workplace report within the statutory window. Do not resign before confirming the new sponsor qualifies — this is not a formality.

Losing your job

There is a limited period to find a new sponsor before your status is at risk. Report the termination to your immigration office and ask directly what your window is; officers are generally helpful when approached early and much less so when approached after an overstay.

If the termination was unfair or wages are unpaid, the Ministry of Employment and Labor helpline on 1350 handles it in English and it costs nothing.

Second jobs and side work

Not permitted without prior permission, including freelance work and consulting. Where a genuine second activity is needed, apply for permission for activities outside your status — do not assume small amounts do not count.

Where E-7 leads

E-7 is a qualifying status for F-2-7, and every year on it accrues points in two categories at once — general work experience and work experience in Korea. Three to four years on E-7 with a bachelor's degree and a TOPIK level puts most people comfortably over the F-2-7 pass mark.

E-7 time also counts towards F-5. The realistic long arc is E-7 → F-2-7 → F-5 over roughly eight years.

The refusal list

• Employer fails the staffing ratio.
• Salary below the income floor.
• Degree does not match the code, and there is no five-year experience fallback.
• Career certificates missing duties, dates, or legalisation.
• Newly incorporated company with no filed tax return.
• Registered office is virtual or residential.
• Applicant has an immigration violation on record.

Note that five of those seven are about the employer. Choosing an employer that can actually sponsor you is more decisive than anything on your CV.