Got a job, university place or family invitation in South Korea? First determine the exact status of stay for the work or residence you will really undertake. A Korean employer offering a job is not, by itself, immigration approval. Different E-series jobs, E-9 nonprofessional employment, study and family visas carry different authorisation and reporting rules.
Find your route before spending money
| Your purpose | First important decision |
|---|---|
| Specialist hired by a Korean company | Ask HR which approved occupational E-category, such as an eligible E-7 role, matches your actual duties |
| Factory, agriculture or similar work through EPS | Check the Ministry of Employment and Labor's Employment Permit System (often E-9) and eligible sending-country processes, rather than using a generic recruitment ad |
| Study in Korea | Check the exact student category and whether paid work needs advance part-time work permission |
| Join spouse/parent | Ask about the appropriate family/dependant class (such as F-3 where applicable) and separate work restrictions |
| Look for a new employer inside Korea | Review your current residence class, actual authorised work, employer-change approval or notification requirements before switching duties |
| Work as a freelancer or remote employee | Check whether the specific government category legally covers the activity; neither a tourist stamp nor a broad “digital nomad” claim is a general work permit |
1. Separate E-7, E-9 and other statuses
Korea's official Visa Portal lists categories available through differing consular, confirmation or electronic routes. E-7 “special activity” is not automatically appropriate for every foreign office job, and the allowed occupation, qualifications, wages and employer eligibility are subject to detailed criteria.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor describes the Employment Permit System (EPS) for specified nonprofessional sectors and participating source countries. An E-9 applicant generally cannot bypass the sending-country and employer process by paying an online agency for a guaranteed job. Recruitment fraud prevention begins with the real employer and the government-designated channel.
Example: A person receives an “E-7 available immediately” sales message but the firm refuses to state the actual occupation code, employer registration or application authority. They should ask for those details and the official visa route before transferring money or resigning from another job.
2. Employer and employee tasks, in order
Employer or receiving institution: Identify the legally registered entity, job duties or programme, precise visa/status, sponsorship eligibility and needed salary/qualifications. Where appropriate, prepare the visa issuance confirmation or other official application through the permitted route. A Visa Portal sponsor workflow lists some categories for confirmation procedures; it does not mean every visa can be obtained by a universal self-service e-Visa.
Applicant: Prepare passport, accurate employment/education records, genuine qualifying experience, photograph, and family documentation if relevant. Ask which certificates must be translated, legalised or submitted as originals in the specific current category. Check the immigration approval and actual first allowed day of paid work before travelling.
Both: Agree on who pays which documented costs, first salary date, employee benefits, accommodation, private/public health cover and what happens to the offer if immigration authorisation is delayed.
Example: A foreign specialist is given a start date but the sponsor hasn't yet obtained the required immigration result. The safe course is to change onboarding plans, not do productive paid work as a tourist “during processing.”
3. After landing: register and maintain your residence details
Korean Government24 guidance says a foreign national staying more than 90 days normally needs to apply for foreigner registration within 90 days of entry, subject to relevant exemptions. It lists the unified application form and explains that competent immigration offices handle the registration. Get the current appointment, fee and accepted address documents from Hi Korea.
Once registered, a foreign resident who moves home has a separate address-change requirement, generally within 15 days of moving in, with reporting routes through Immigration, designated municipal offices or available online services according to Government24. These are two different deadlines. The “90 days” is not the permitted employment start date and the “15 days” is not the rule for every employer change.
A separate 2026 employment-information report—do not confuse it with an employer-change permit
The Korean Ministry of Justice's 2025 announcement and its official 11-page English reporting appendix were directly read; the relevant PDF pages were visually checked. The expanded Hi Korea employment-information reporting process began 2 January 2026. Who reports? People actually engaging in for-profit activities under the listed E-1–E-10, D-7–D-9, F-2, F-4, F-6 and H-2 categories (the appendix excludes F-5 permanent residents from this particular report). Being in Korea without a listed profitable activity is not the same trigger; however, starting such an activity later requires a report within 15 days. What changes require another report within 15 days? Changes to the reported occupation, industry or annual-income bracket. These employment-information reporting dates do not replace any separate advance work/employer-change approval obligation.
Practical steps: Log in to Hi Korea and submit the employment-information report as part of an Immigration visit reservation (the form appears for covered statuses), or under e-Application → Employment Information (Change) Report when no office visit is planned. Save/print evidence of submission; if you need a walk-in/registered agent route, the appendix tells you how to print the certificate. Its published transition allowed paper January–June 2026, then specifies online-only from the second half of 2026. This is the official published rule, not independent evidence that the live portal accepts each applicant today; verify service availability and your exact status directly with Hi Korea or the competent office. Do not use this filing alone to start a new job.
Example: An E-7 worker changes from one Korean employer to another, and HR says they can simply update an online income field later. Incorrect assumption: reporting earnings does not replace any advance employer/workplace authorisation or status-change procedure that applies to the specific E-7 occupation. Clarify both immigration work permission and employment-information reporting separately.
Coordinate actual National Health Insurance (NHIS) and employment-related coverage separately; see Korea healthcare and insurance. A foreigner registration card alone does not mean every dependant has joined the insurance scheme.
4. Job changes and when a status ends
Before resigning, ask the employer and Hi Korea what notification, authorisation or new sponsorship is required for your exact status and role. Some changes require permission before new work begins; others have status-specific notification rules. Do not assume that an unexpired residence card authorises a new employer or that unemployment creates an automatic fixed grace period.
If the employment relationship ends, obtain a written exit date and ask Immigration what permission actually continues and until when. Separately request final salary/contract records, insurer loss date and applicable pension/benefits procedures. Family permissions may depend on the original sponsor.
5. Your five written questions to HR
Ask for: the exact visa/status and job code, the legal employer, who files the application, what document proves the actual first authorised workday, and what reporting/insurance changes occur if the job ends or you move. Keep a private copy of authorisation and contracts that does not disappear with a company email account.
Before accepting a start date, ask HR which issued document actually permits your work and who is responsible for each application. Keep the 90-day foreigner registration and 15-day address-change requirements, where applicable, separate from any work-authorisation and 2026 employment-information reporting duties.