E-7-1 Specially Designated Activities Visa, Professional
The employer-sponsored work status for professionals in designated occupations, and the main entry point to Korea’s residence ladder.
Most rejections are not about salary. They are about the occupation code. E-7-1 covers roughly 87 designated occupations, and the applicant’s degree and experience have to match the code the employer files under. A “manager” or “specialist” title that does not map cleanly onto the list is the single most common refusal, and no amount of salary fixes it.
The second correction: the wage floor is fixed salary, not total compensation. Bonuses, allowances, housing support and stock do not count toward the KRW 31,120,000 minimum.
Programme snapshot
| Item | Current rule |
|---|---|
| Main audience | Professionals with a Korean job offer in a designated occupation |
| Route family | Skilled work |
| Validity | Tied to the employment contract, up to 3 years per issuance |
| Stay per entry | Up to 3 years |
| Threshold | KRW 31,120,000 annual fixed salary (2026), about USD 23,000 |
| Renewal | Renewable while employed; job change needs permission or a new application |
| Settlement | Switch required, to F-2-7 |
| PR clock | 3 years on E-7 can feed F-2-7, then 3 years to F-5. About 6 years total |
| Citizenship clock | 5 years of continuous residence once F-2 or F-5 is held, plus language and civics |
| Family | Spouse and minor children on F-3; the spouse cannot work without a separate permit |
| Local employment | Sponsor only. Tied to the named employer and occupation |
| Tax headline | Korean salary taxed at progressive rates; residency after 183 days pulls worldwide income in |
| Processing | 4 to 8 weeks including visa issuance confirmation |
The threshold is roughly 80 percent of prior-year per-capita GNI. There is an alternative: a salary of 3x GNI, about KRW 149,865,000, waives the degree and experience requirements. That route exists for senior specialists whose qualifications do not fit the standard template.
Application flow
- The Korean employer identifies the occupation code and confirms the degree maps to it.
- The employer applies for visa issuance confirmation at the local immigration office.
- Immigration reviews the company, the contract and the applicant’s qualifications.
- The confirmation number goes to the applicant, who applies at a Korean mission abroad.
- Enter, register as an alien, and start work for the named employer only.
- After 3 years, apply for F-2-7 while still employed.
Good fit
A mid-career IT developer, engineer, scientist or technical specialist whose degree and work history match a designated code precisely. It also suits someone recruited by a Korean SME or venture in a field the government is actively importing labour into, where the salary floor is easier to meet relative to local pay.
Poor fit
Sales and marketing generalists, operations managers and anyone whose job title does not map onto the closed list. Also poor for people who want to change employers freely, since the status is welded to the sponsor, and for anyone who assumes the job will convert to residence automatically. The conversion is a separate application with its own score.
Watchpoints
- The occupation list is closed and the degree must match the code. This is the main rejection reason, ahead of salary and documents.
- The floor is fixed salary. Bonuses and allowances are excluded from the KRW 31,120,000 calculation. A package worth KRW 40,000,000 with a base of KRW 29,000,000 fails.
- E-7-2, E-7-3 and E-7-4 do not feed the professional track. They sit on lower salary floors but are excluded from F-2-7. Taking the cheaper subcategory can cost you the settlement route.
- SMEs and ventures can sometimes sponsor at about 70 percent of GNI, but the local-employment ratio is checked. A company with too few Korean staff will be refused.
- Changing employer without approval can void the status, even when the new job pays more and is in the same occupation.
- The spouse’s F-3 is not a work permit. A separate permit is required, and it is not automatic.
- Three years on E-7 is necessary but not sufficient for F-2-7. Without Korean income history, TOPIK or age points, the score will not reach 80.
Sources
- Korea Immigration Service, E-7 status guidance and occupation list, checked 2026-10-22
- Ministry of Justice Public Notice No. 2025-406, 2026 wage floor, cited but the notice itself was not opened
- Per-capita GNI of KRW 52,410,000 for 2025, used for the 80 percent and 3x calculations