E-7 Visa for IT Developers in Korea — Occupations, Degree, Experience, Employer

Overview

IT developers can be covered by the E-7 visa. Among the occupations permitted for Specific Activities (E-7) in the Ministry of Justice Foreign Resident Stay Manual (Sept. 2026 edition; 94 occupations as of August 2026), the 67 professional (E-7-1) occupations include information and communication occupations such as computer systems designer and analyst (2221), system software developer (2222), application software developer (2223) and web developer (2224), and the manual says the general standard applies to their qualifications, visa issuance and stay management.

This article narrows the topic to IT and software occupations rather than E-7 as a whole. It covers job codes, degree and experience rules, the wage and employer criteria, and documents, only to the extent confirmed in the manual text. Employer requirements are in a separate article and denial reasons in the E-7 denial article. The manual is a supporting guide, and approval is decided by examination.

At a Glance

Scope of Activity

• Codes and manual descriptions of computer, software and ICT occupations among the occupations permitted for Specific Activities (E-7)
• The general degree and experience requirements, the special cases relevant to IT developers, the wage and employer review standards, and the documents to submit
• Out of scope: judging the likelihood of approval, processing time and fees, a guide to every E-7 occupation, and the detailed employer requirements and denial reasons

Who Qualifies

• Foreign nationals who want to work for a Korean IT company as a software, web or application developer
• International students who have graduated, or will soon graduate, from a Korean university and are preparing a change to E-7
• HR staff at small, venture and other IT firms checking the occupation and requirements for hiring a foreign developer
• Applicants looking into IT-related special cases such as the Vietnam SW talent rule or KOTRA employment recommendation

Required Documents

• Invited foreign national: copy of passport, one half-length color photo, employment contract, and documents proving the qualification (degree certificate, career certificate, qualification certificates). Documents issued abroad need a Korean or English translation, and the key documents need consular notarization or an Apostille
• Content of the employment contract: state working hours against the total monthly pay (annual salary), including daily and monthly hours, so that minimum-wage rules are not breached. Wages are reviewed on the basis of annual salary (total pay)
• Wage review documents: the contract and the previous year's income certificate issued by the tax office (required for extension of stay and change of workplace)
• Inviting company documents: documents on the establishment of the employer, documents proving the need to hire a foreigner (reason for invitation, employment recommendation, etc.), national tax payment certificate, and local tax payment certificate
• Reason for invitation: describe in concrete terms the need to hire a foreigner, how the foreigner will be used, and the expected effect
• Employment recommendation: attached at filing only where the occupation standard makes it mandatory. The IT occupation entries name the issuing body, and hiring by universities and public institutions is exempt. Confirm whether it is mandatory before filing
• Headcount check: where the Korean-employment protection standards apply, Korean employees are counted from those listed on the employment-insurance roll for 3 or more months at or above the minimum wage, so prepare employment-insurance documents
• Letter of identity guarantee: only for workers in occupations notified by the Minister of Justice as restricted for reporting a change or addition of workplace

Application Process

1. Check eligibility — confirm your current status, career, degree and contract type match the requirements.
2. Prepare documents — foreign public documents need a translator's certification plus an apostille (or consular confirmation for non-member states).
3. Book a visit — reserve a slot at your Immigration Office via HiKorea (www.hikorea.go.kr), or file online where e-Application is available.
4. File and pay — submit the Integrated Application Form (Form No. 34) and pay the screening fee.
5. Review — respond to any request for supplementary documents within the deadline.
6. Result — on approval, the period of stay and status are granted; reissue your ARC if required.

Key Points

• Check job codes against the manual's list of permitted occupations. The occupation list shows data specialist (2231), network system developer (2232) and information security specialist (2233), but the manual's per-occupation detailed standards show data specialist (2241), network system developer (2231) and information security specialist (2232) in places, so it is safer to confirm the occupation name and code with the office before writing them on the application. A separate similar-occupation standard allows hiring in the closest occupation when none matches exactly.
• You must meet one of the general degree and experience requirements. Experience counts only if gained after the degree or certificate, but for people in advanced-technology fields (IT, bio, nano and others) internships in the field before graduation are counted as work experience. Graduates (or expected graduates) of Korean universities (Higher Education Act Art. 2 items 1 to 4) may be allowed if the need to hire is recognized, regardless of major, and bachelor's holders and above are exempt from the 1-year experience requirement; cyber universities, technical colleges and miscellaneous schools are excluded.
• There are special cases beyond the general requirement. Someone with 1 or more years in a professional job at a Global 500 company may be allowed if the need to hire is recognized, even without the required degree and experience, and a bachelor's graduate (or expected graduate) of a top world university (within the Times top 200 or QS top 500) may be allowed on the same footing even without the 1 year of field experience. Japanese nationals holding the software developer or basic information technology engineer certificates recognized by Japanese information-processing bodies are allowed regardless of the usual qualification standard. The system software developer entry adds a special case that exempts Vietnamese graduates (or expected graduates) of top universities from the 1-year experience requirement if they complete an SW course and join an SME or venture firm (a pilot for 2025 to 2026, with a mandatory employment recommendation from the Minister of SMEs and Startups). Confirm with the office whether you qualify.
• Wages are reviewed on annual salary (total pay), and both the hourly and monthly amounts must meet the minimum wage. The 2026 standard for professionals (E-7-1) is KRW 31.12 million or more a year, but the manual adds that occupations designated by the Minister of Justice to protect domestic jobs follow standards set separately by occupation. The special rule for SMEs, venture firms and non-capital-region mid-sized firms applies to people about to work in an occupation that carries the 80 percent of last year's per-capita GNI wage requirement and who have no E-7 work history at a Korean company or 3 years or less: it lets them meet 70 percent for up to 3 years (80 percent after 3 years), and where the special-rule amount and the announced amount differ, the more favorable one applies. Confirm the standard that actually applies with the office.
• On the employer side, unpaid national or local tax, or failing the occupation-specific employer and minimum-wage requirements, makes the inviting company ineligible. The Korean-employment protection standards in the manual include a restriction on firms with fewer than 5 Korean employees that mainly serve the domestic market and permission to hire foreigners within 20 percent of Korean employees, but for professionals these are in principle not applied apart from the wage requirement, with exceptions such as occupations under Korean-employment protection. The manual's web developer entry states that the 20 percent rule applies, so confirm with the office which standard applies. The manual is a supporting guide and approval is decided by examination, so no result can be promised.
• Documents issued in Korea must normally be dated within 3 months unless another validity period applies.
• Documents already on file in your alien registration record need not be resubmitted.
• Health certificates, drug test results and pre-employment medical reports must be submitted sealed by the issuing hospital (do not open).
• You must be in Korea when applying; leaving the country after filing may result in refusal.
• Screening fees are non-refundable once the application is accepted.
• The head of the Immigration Office may add or waive documents where necessary for review.

Frequently Asked Questions

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