2024-11-04BY Immikorea

E7비자 조건

We get a lot of questions about the E7 visa requirements, and the most common one is about the possibility of getting a visa. The company’s requirements are these, and the foreigner they want to hire is these, but the most common question is whether they can get a visa.

There are a lot of articles on the internet about E7 visa requirements, but none of them explain exactly what they are. Of course, the requirements are slightly different for different jobs, so we can only write down the general requirements, but even then, it is very difficult for the average person to understand exactly what is true.

In this article, I’ve tried to demystify the E7 visa requirements to the best of my knowledge.

For general questions about applying for an E7 visa, please click the following button.

The E7 visa is designed to attract specialized workers, so it requires the following minimum education and work experience

Candidate’s education and experience

  1. Master’s or higher degree in a field related to the job you’re hiring for.
  2. Bachelor’s degree from a foreign university in a field relevant to the position being introduced + at least 1 year of relevant work experience
  3. If you don’t have a degree, at least 5 years of work experience in a field related to the job you’re adopting
  4. See exceptions below for degrees from universities in South Korea

♦ Degree and work experience certificates must be issued by your home country and submitted through the apostille process.

Educational credentials
  1. It must be a degree, not a diploma.
  2. We don’t recognize diplomas from two- and three-year colleges abroad as bachelor’s degrees, but it depends on the discipline in your country.
  3. We do not accept degrees from online classes. We accept degrees with D2 status.
  4. You can apply for an E7 visa with your graduation certificate. However, you will need to submit your diploma separately afterward.
Whether your experience counts
  1. Work experience only includes work experience since earning your degree or certificate, not internships or part-time jobs while you were in school.
  2. Internship experience prior to graduation will be recognized as work experience if you are in a high-tech field (IT, bio, nano, etc.).
  3. Internships in Korea under the H-1 (tourist), D-4-3 (temporary worker), or D-10 (worker visa) status do not count as work experience.
  4. If you falsify your work history and submit it, it will be considered a forgery and you will face severe penalties. You could be deported and have difficulty entering the country in the future.

Exceptions for education and experience: Allowed if the need to hire is recognized to attract top talent

Exceptions always have the phrase permissible if the need for employment is recognized, which means they must be vetted by an immigration office and does not mean they are unconditionally permitted.

  1. One year or more of professional work experience at one of the world’s top 500 companies
    • – Allow hires who don’t meet education and experience requirements if the need for employment is recognized
  2. Graduate or hold a bachelor’s degree from a world-class university
    • – Allowed if the need for employment is recognized even if you do not have one year of experience in your field of specialization
    • – Time Magazine 200 universities and QS World University Rankings 500 universities (searchable online)
  3. Domestic college graduates and upcoming graduates
    • – Waive one year of experience if you are working in a job related to your major
  4. Domestic college graduates and prospective students
    • – Allowed if there is a recognized need for employment regardless of major field of study; 1-year experience waiver
    • – Work/study student (D-2-7) graduates are exempt from the National Employment Ratio
  5. Excellent talent in high-tech fields with KOTRA employment recommendation
    • IT, Technology Management, Nano, Digital Electronics, Bio, Transportation & Machinery, New Materials, Environment & Energy, etc.
  6. High-tech interns D-10-3 Residents
    • – Waiver of education and work experience requirements for those who have interned at a domestic company for at least one year and have been formally employed in the field of internship activities and earned a wage of at least 1 times GNI
  7. Specific Japanese software engineers, etc.
  8. Excellent talent with specialized skills recommended by ministries
    • – Both education and work experience are exempted if the annual compensation is 1.5 times GNI or more and is recommended by the head of the central administrative agency and the head of the local government (including special mayors and metropolitan mayors).
  9. Highly paid professional talent
    • – Education, experience exemptions if total annual compensation received is more than 3 times GNI
  10. Graduates of the Best Practices Training

One of the most common questions we receive during E7 visa counseling is, “Is it possible to recruit if my company has less than 5 employees?” Due to inaccurate information on the Internet, there seems to be a widespread perception that it is only possible to recruit within 20% of the number of Korean employees. Even administrators often think so.

Misconceptions about foreign hiring percentage limits

  1. This does not apply to E-7-1 visas for specialty workers. This means that if the need for hiring is demonstrated, it is possible to hire even if the company is small. We have a lot of experience hiring foreigners, even for small companies or start-ups of two or three people. In some cases, we have hired multiple people at the same time. Of course, proving the need for hiring is a separate issue.
  2. The foreign employment ratio limit applies to national protection occupations, semi-professional labor (E7-2), general skilled labor (E7-3), and skilled labor (E7-4).
  3. Even if there is a foreign employment percentage limit, there are some jobs that have separate criteria, such as exporters in specialty language areas.

The company and its representatives must not have any tax arrears (national, local taxes)

  1. Your company must not be delinquent in its taxes. Provide proof of tax payment and payment history.
  2. Your company’s local taxes must be paid in full
  3. The company representative’s local taxes must be paid in full. There must be no criminal convictions related to hiring foreigners.

Allow early-stage foreign-funded companies or ventures with no revenue for 5 years

Have basic salary requirements for hiring foreigners

When hiring foreigners, some people may feel overwhelmed by the higher salaries and worry about equity with Korean employees. Here’s what you need to know about the salary structure.

  1. Specialty Workers (E-7-1): This applies to most E7 visa occupations.
    • – At least 80% of the previous year’s GNI by default ($35,240,800 in 2024)
    • – However, there are exceptions for small businesses, startups, and non-metro midsize businesses.
      • 70% or more of GNI upon submission of the applicable certificate ($30,835,700 in 2024)
      • Employee has not been working on an E7 visa for 3 years or less
  2. Paraprofessional or less (E7-2, E7-3): paid at or above minimum wage

Your salary is important when extending your E7 visa. If you are paid less than your contracted annual salary, this could be a problem for your visa extension. You must be paid at least the minimum wage.

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