Hello. TAEKANG Law Firm here.

There are many visa types available for foreigners seeking employment in Korea. Depending on the job category, options range from E-1 (Professor), E-2 (Conversational Language Instructor), and E-3 (Research) to E-10 (Non-professional Employment), along with many other visa types that permit employment. In this case, we will introduce the F-2-7 visa — a residency status granted to high-scoring talents.

💡 Employment Visa Process

👱🏻 Foreigner

- Education: Master’s degree in Korean Language Education from a Korean university

- Career experience: None

- Note: Staying in Korea on a job-seeking visa (D-10)

🏢 Company

- E-commerce service company

- Employees: 13 Korean nationals

🔖 Job Code: Advertising and Public Relations Specialist (2733)

The F-2 visa is a residence visa, designed for foreigners intending to stay long-term in Korea and potentially qualify for permanent residency. It includes categories such as children of Korean nationals, spouses of permanent residents, and more. Among them, F-2-7 is for high-scoring talents based on a point system, and it is subdivided into five categories:

* Employees of listed companies / Workers in promising industries / Professionals / Talented graduates / Potential high-scoring talents

This foreigner applied for the F-2-7 visa as a “Talented Graduate.” This applies to foreigners who have obtained at least a master's degree from a recognized Korean institution within the past 5 years and who are either currently employed or confirmed to be employed in positions ranging from Professor (E-1) to Specialized Skilled Worker (E-7-1) or from Journalist (D-5) to Trade Management (D-9).

Looking closer at the professional category: to qualify, the applicant must be a registered foreign national working in one of the recognized professions, with at least 3 consecutive years of lawful stay under the relevant professional visa status at the time of application.

However, if the applicant earns an annual income of over 40 million KRW as certified by a tax statement, or is a designated science/engineering foreign talent invited under a Ministry of Justice program with a recommendation from the head of a central administrative agency, the stay duration requirement can be waived.

To apply for the visa, a total score of at least 80 points is required on the point table. Even a 1-point shortfall will disqualify the application, so if you're considering a residence visa, be sure to prepare in advance to meet the requirements.