F-5-5 Big Investor Permanent Residence Application (D8 -> F5)
In order to apply for F-5-5 permanent residency, the following conditions must be fit.
The F-5-5 permanent residency is for those who have invested 500,000 USD or more in Korea to establish a foreign-invested corporation and have employed 5 or more Koreans as regular workers for 6 months or more.
In order to apply for F-5-5 large investor permanent residency, you must first obtain a D-8 investor visa to operate a business, and then change to permanent residency in accordance with the requirements below.
Requirements for applying for permanent residency after investment
- sole investor
- The applicant must be a contracting party that directly employs 5 or more Koreans as full-time workers for 6 months or more.
- If the number of employed citizens overlaps with the number of employed persons of other applicants for permanent residency within 6 months prior to the date of application, they are excluded from the number of persons.
- co-investor
- In accordance with the “Foreign Investment Promotion Act” per investor, invest at least USD 500,000 and employ at least 5 nationals, but meet the above requirements for a single investor.
- When calculating the number of employees, each investor must be a different citizen.
F-5-5 Proceedings
| Foreign Investment Report |
| ⇒ Remittance of investment funds |
| ⇒ Company establishment and registration |
| ⇒ Business registration and incorporation notification |
| ⇒ Transfer of paid-in capital to corporate account |
| ⇒ Foreign-invested company registration |
| ⇒ Issuance of D-8 visa |
| ⇒ Satisfy F-5-5 permanent residency conditions |
| ⇒ Apply for permanent residency |
Main documents to be submitted when applying for F-5-5 permanent residence
- Foreign-invested company registration certificate, corporate registration certificate, business registration certificate
- Documents proving permanent employment of Korean nationals
- List of subscribers at the 4 major insurance business establishments, income certificate of employed Koreans
- Employment contract, full-time employment confirmation, etc.
Special Benefits for F-5-5 Permanent Resident Applicants
- Overseas Criminal Record Exemption
- Exemption from examination of import requirements
- Exemption from the Korean language proficiency requirement
Permission to change residency status for large investors (D8 -> F2)
Investors with over $500,000, foreign corporations
- Those who have stayed for more than 3 years with a business investment D8 visa
- Executives and employees dispatched to a foreign-invested company who have stayed continuously for 3 years or more
- Required documents: Investment company registration certificate, dispatch order, certificate of employment, certificate of income amount (3 years)
Investors with over $300,000
- Those who employ two or more Koreans
- Required documents: foreign investment report, investment company registration certificate, employee employment contract, income amount certificate