How to Hire a Foreigner in Korea: Which Visa Fits — Status Selection Guide

Overview

When you hire a foreign employee, first check whether the person holds a status that allows employment, and whether the planned work falls within that status's scope of activities. The Ministry of Justice Foreign Resident Stay Manual (Sept. 2026 edition) lists the statuses that allow employment as Short-term Employment (C-4), Professor (E-1) through Crew Employment (E-10), and Visit and Employment (H-2), and elsewhere also refers to Residence (F-2), Overseas Korean (F-4), Permanent Resident (F-5) and Marriage Migrant (F-6) as statuses that allow employment.

This article is a hub that tells apart the ones companies meet most often in practice: E-7 (professional, semi-professional, general skilled and skilled-worker tiers), E-9 (Employment Permit System), D-10 (job seeking) and the F-series. Detailed requirements for each are in dedicated articles such as E-7 employer requirements, changing from E-9 to E-7-4, and D-10 extension, so they are not repeated here; this guide only points you to the right place. The manual is a supporting guide and approval is decided by examination.

At a Glance

Scope of Activity

• How to choose a status when hiring a foreigner: the range of work-eligible statuses, the E-7 tiers, the E-9 Employment Permit System, D-10 job seeking and where the F-series fits
• Pre-hiring checks and post-hiring reporting duties that can be confirmed in the manual (detailed requirements and documents for each status are in dedicated articles)
• Out of scope: processing time and fees, judging the likelihood of approval, labor-law issues such as working conditions, and occupation-specific interpretations not in the manual

Who Qualifies

• HR and management staff hiring a foreign employee for the first time who do not know which status to start with
• Manufacturers and service companies trying to tell whether E-7 (professional, skilled) or E-9 (Employment Permit System) applies
• Staff considering a candidate on D-10 (job seeking) or someone in an F-series status
• Companies that already employ foreigners and want to check their reporting duties after hiring

Required Documents

• Check status and registration: the status and period of stay shown on the person's passport and Alien Registration Card (ARC). Employment is limited to activities within the scope of that status
• Check that the work is within the scope of activities: for E-7, whether the occupation is on the permitted list (67 professional, 10 semi-professional, 14 general skilled and 3 points-based skilled occupations); for E-9, whether the worker is being brought in under the Employment Permit System of the Act on the Employment, etc. of Foreign Workers
• What to prepare for an E-7 hire: the foreigner's passport copy, photo, employment contract and proof of qualifications such as a degree; the company's establishment documents, letter of reasons for invitation, employment recommendation (for required occupations), tax payment certificate and local tax certificate. The general requirement is one of: a related master's degree or higher, a bachelor's degree plus 1 year of experience, or 5 years of experience
• Check E-7 employer requirements: whether the employer requirements for the occupation, headcount per company and minimum wage are met, and whether there are tax arrears. See the E-7 employer requirements article for details
• Checks for an E-9 hire: the Employment Permit System allows an employer to hire foreign workers under the Act on the Employment of Foreign Workers. The permit process follows that law and employment-labor guidance; this article only covers the scope of the immigration manual. For people already working on E-9 who may move to E-7-4, see the E-9 to E-7-4 change article
• Check D-10 applicants: D-10 is a training and job-seeking status for work in the E-1 to E-7 fields, so confirm with the competent Immigration Office what procedure, such as a change to a work status, is needed for formal hiring. For D-10 extension documents, see the D-10 extension article
• Check F-series applicants: F-2, F-4, F-5 and F-6 are referred to as work-eligible, but each may have activity limits or restricted fields, so check the guidance for the specific status. For F-4, see the F-4 employment limits article
• Check reporting after hiring: the E-9 employer's employment change report (dismissal, resignation, unknown whereabouts, major change in contract and so on); the foreigner's own report of a change or addition of workplace (within 15 days for E-7 cases covered by after-the-fact reporting); and the report of occupation and annual income

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

• Even for work-eligible statuses, the scope of activities differs by status: the manual defines employment as activity within the scope of that status. If the work assigned goes beyond the status, a permit for activities outside status or a change or addition of workplace may be needed separately.
• E-7 looks at occupation, education and career, and employer requirements together: the occupation must be on the permitted list, and both the foreigner's education and career and the company's requirements (Korean-employee ratio, headcount per company, minimum wage, tax arrears and so on) must be met. The detailed employer standards and wage figures are covered in the E-7 employer requirements article.
• Reporting duties: an employer of E-9 foreign workers must report within 15 days of learning of a dismissal, resignation, death, unknown whereabouts or a major change to the employment contract (contract period, change of representative, change of workplace name or address and so on); retirement on contract expiry needs no report. Foreigners in work-eligible statuses report their occupation and annual income at alien registration and when applying for various permits.
• There is no simple one-line answer: this article explains how the statuses differ and does not say which one will be approved. The manual is a supporting guide, approval is decided by examination and the office head may add or remove documents, so confirm each hiring case with the competent Immigration Office.
• 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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