F-5-8 Permanent Residency

1. Overview

F-5-8 Permanent Residency is for ethnic Chinese born in Korea who held (or are treated as having held) F-2 residence status under Annex 1 No. 27 of the Immigration Control Act Enforcement Decree as it stood before April 18, 2002, and whom the Minister of Justice recognizes as needing to continue residing in Korea.

2. Eligibility Requirements

• Born in Korea, with prior F-2 status as described above
• One of: (1) continuous stay without complete departure in D-7 to E-7 or F-2 status; (2) after complete departure and re-entry, continuous stay of 2 years or more in those statuses (periods may be added together); (3) combined stay of 4 years or more in F-1, F-3 and the statuses in (2)
• Subsistence ability (one of): annual income of 70% or more of the previous year's per-capita GNI if the cohabiting family has 2 or fewer members (GNI or more for 3 or more), or, if income is not met, assets of KRW 60 million or more held in the name of cohabiting family members
• Basic-literacy requirement is exempt

3. Required Documents

Documents may differ by individual case, and the immigration office may request other documents it deems necessary.

4. Procedure

1. Consultation and review of eligibility for this F-5 sub-category
2. Preparation of common documents and category-specific documents
3. Application for permanent residence (F-5) status at the competent immigration office
4. Review by the immigration office (timing varies by case; confirm with the office)
5. Receipt of the permanent residence card

5. Frequently Asked Questions

6. Related Services