🌏 How Foreigners Can Work in Korea
Complete Visa Guide (E-7 / E-2 / D-10 / F Visa) + Employment Strategy
If you want to work in Korea,
the first key is understanding which visa allows employment and how to obtain it.
Most foreigners fail not because of lack of skills,
but because they apply to companies:
❌ that cannot sponsor their visa
❌ that do not know how visa sponsorship works
❌ where their degree/experience doesn't match the visa requirements
But when you understand your visa category, your hiring probability increases dramatically.
➡️ Visa knowledge = Hiring competitiveness
✅ Why visa understanding = more job offers
Korean companies don’t hire first and think about the visa later.
They ask first: “What visa will you work under?”
If you answer confidently:
“I can work under E-7 (Skilled Worker Visa). Your company only needs to submit 3 documents.”
It removes confusion and makes hiring easier for HR.
If you say:
“I don’t know, can you sponsor me?”
→ 90% chance of rejection.
✅ Korea’s Work Visa System Overview
| Visa | Category Type | Who qualifies | Freedom to work? |
| Employment Visa (E) | E-7 / E-2 / E-9 | Must match degree/experience | ❌ Restricted |
| Residence Visa (F) | F-2 / F-4 / F-5 / F-6 | Marriage / residency / permanent | ✅ Free |
| Transition Visa | D-10 | Used for job search | → Convert to E-7 |
✅ Detailed Visa Breakdown
✅ E-7 Visa — Skilled Professional Employment
BEST visa for foreigners wanting professional jobs (IT, marketing, business development, engineering, etc.)
✅ Requirements (You need 1 out of these 3)
| Requirement | Example |
| Degree matches the job | Computer Science degree → IT job |
| 1+ year work experience | 1 year in marketing → marketing role |
| Recognized professional license | CPA, engineer license, etc. |
✅ Employer requirements
| Requirement | Explanation |
| Hire foreign worker legitimately | Must prove “necessity” |
| Provide sponsorship documents | Contract, company registration |
| Meet salary requirement | Higher than industry average |
💡 If HR doesn’t know how to sponsor visa:
“I will guide the process and prepare required documents. There are only 3 documents needed from the company.”
✅ Industries that actively hire under E-7
- IT / Software / AI / Data science
- Marketing / Business development
- Trading / Logistics
- Mechanical / Electrical engineering
- Finance / Accounting
- Foreign language roles (non-E2)
💡 Many E-7 hires happen at foreign-owned companies in Korea because they value global talent.
✅ E-2 Visa — Language Instructor Visa (Native English teachers)
| Requirement | Detail |
| Native English speaker | USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, NZ, South Africa |
| University degree | Any major eligible |
| Criminal background check | Required |
| Medical checkup | Required after arrival |
Possible workplaces:
- Private academies (학원)
- Kindergartens
- Public schools (EPIK, GEPIK)
- Companies (corporate language training)
💡 If you’re NOT from a native-English country:
➡️ Consider E-7 (education) or D-10 → E-7 pathway
✅ D-10 Visa — Job Seeker Visa
BEST STRATEGY: Enter Korea → Find job → Convert to E-7
| Who qualifies | Example |
| Graduated from Korean university | Bachelor / Master / PhD |
| Graduated from foreign university + experience | Skilled talent |
| Internship candidates | Some companies use D-10 first |
💡 Why D-10 is powerful
- Allows legally staying in Korea while job hunting
- You can attend interviews and accept job offers
- No need to exit and re-enter the country
Strategy used by successful foreigners:
Fly to Korea → D-10 → Network → Job offer → Convert to E-7
✅ E-9 Visa — Manual labor / factory
- For agriculture, manufacturing, production
- Company must apply through EPS (Korean Government system)
- You cannot apply individually
- Limited job roles
✅ F-6 Visa — Marriage Visa
- Employment freedom (same as a Korean citizen)
- No visa sponsorship needed
- Can start a business
- No job restrictions
✅ F-2 / F-5 Visa — Residency / Permanent Residency
| Visa | Meaning |
| F-2 (Long-term Residence) | Can work ANY job |
| F-5 (Permanent Resident) | Korean citizenship-level rights (other than voting) |
Many E-7 or E-2 visa holders work toward F-2 → F-5 progression.
✅ WHICH VISA FITS YOU?
| Your Situation | Best Visa Path |
| No job yet but highly skilled | D-10 → E-7 |
| Native English speaker | E-2 (fastest hiring process) |
| Professional degree + experience | E-7 |
| Married to Korean | F-6 |
| Want full work freedom | F-2 → F-5 |
🧠 How to Increase Visa Approval Rate
✅ 1. Match “degree + job title”
Example:
| Degree | Job Title | Result |
| Computer science | Software engineer | ✅ High approval |
| Business major | IT engineer | ❌ Often rejected |
✅ 2. Prepare these documents FIRST (before applying to jobs)
| Required | Status |
| Degree certificate (apostilled) | ☐ |
| Police check (apostilled) | ☐ |
| Resume (Korean + English) | ☐ |
| Portfolio / LinkedIn | ☐ |
| Korean phone number (after arrival) | ☐ |
Many people lose job offers because documents are not ready.
✅ 3. Send THIS message to HR (copy/paste)
“Yes, I already have all necessary documents (degree / background check / apostille). Sponsoring my visa only requires 3 company documents and I will guide everything.”
Employers LOVE when you make things easy.
🔧 Job-Hunting Strategy (REALISTIC AND EFFECTIVE)
✅ Best job platforms in Korea (search these)
| Platform | Purpose |
| Saramin / JobKorea | General job market |
| Foreign-friendly jobs | |
| WorkinKorea (points-based) | Skilled jobs + global hiring |
| Craigslist Seoul | Language / tutoring / part-time |
✅ E-7 candidates should use keywords:
- “Global”
- “Foreign”
- “Overseas business”
- “Marketing / BD”
- “Technical sales”
✅ E-2 candidates should search:
- “English teacher”
- “ESL”
- "Kindergarten"
🗣 Useful Interview Phrases (English → Korean)
| Situation | Korean phrase |
| “Do you sponsor visas?” | 취업비자 스폰 가능하신가요? |
| “Can you issue an employment contract?” | 고용계약서 발급 부탁드립니다. |
| “I already prepared all required visa documents.” | 비자 서류는 모두 준비되어 있습니다. |
Showing confidence helps companies feel you are low risk.
📌 Full Process (Start → Job → Visa → Korea)
① Choose visa path (E-7 / E-2 / D-10 / F-6)
② Prepare documents (degree, police check, resume)
③ Apply to companies that CAN sponsor visas
④ Get job offer
⑤ Company submits documents
⑥ Visa approval
⑦ Arrive in Korea → get ARC (Alien Registration Card)
⑧ Open bank account + get phone number + register health insurance✅ SUMMARY
| Goal | Best Option |
| Work professionally in Korea | E-7 |
| Teach English | E-2 |
| No job yet? Want to job-hunt in Korea? | D-10 |
| Married to Korean / Permanent stay | F-6 / F-2 / F-5 |
Visa understanding = Hiring power.
