E-7-M (K-CORE) Trained Professional Technical Worker Visa Requirements — Status Change Procedure and Documents for Graduates of Designated Junior Colleges

Procedure

1. 1. Confirm graduation (or expected graduation) from a designated department

   E-7-M is available only to graduates (or expected graduates) of trained professional technical departments designated by the Minister of Justice. The departments designated in March 2026 are one department each at 16 junior colleges, such as the Department of Future Automotive Engineering at Daelim University College, the Department of Electrical Engineering at Osan University, the Department of Smart CAD/CAM at Yeungjin College, the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Ulsan College and the Department of New and Renewable Energy Electricity at Mokpo Science University; other departments at the same college do not qualify. First confirm with a certificate of enrollment or a certificate of (expected) graduation that your department is a designated one.

2. 2. Meet the Korean language requirement

   The Korean language standard at the post-graduation employment stage is completion of Level 4 or higher of the Korea Immigration and Integration Program, and the public notice states that TOPIK Level 5 is also accepted. This is higher than the admission-stage standard (TOPIK Level 3, etc.), so the completion certificate or score report should be secured before graduation.

3. 3. Sign an employment contract with a major-related company

   The employment contract must be with a company related to your major, with a starting annual salary of 26,000,000 won or more and a contract period of 1 year or longer. This amount applies the 2025 wage standard for E-7-4 (Skilled Worker) and, under the public notice, may be adjusted in the future, so check the standard again at the time of signing. When all three issuance requirements are met, the employment necessity for Specific Activities (E-7) is deemed satisfied, and companies hiring these graduates receive a relaxed limit on the ratio of foreign to Korean employees (20%).

4. 4. Prepare the integrated application form and apply for a change of status of sojourn

   A graduate (or expected graduate) staying in Korea must obtain permission to change status of sojourn before starting the new activity, under Article 24 of the Immigration Act. Attach to the integrated application form the documents required for a change to Specific Activities (E-7) under Annex 5-2 of the Enforcement Rule, such as the employment contract, proof of education and the employer's business registration certificate, together with proof of the Korean language requirement, and submit them to the competent immigration office; the fee is 100,000 won (Enforcement Rule Article 72, Subparagraph 5).

5. 5. Manage your stay and check the Residence (F-2) path

   According to the public notice, a person who works continuously for 5 years or more with E-7-M, or stays with the same company in a depopulation area for 3 years or more, is allowed to apply for Residence (F-2) status. Keep your permission records and employment records so that your period of employment remains continuous each time you change workplace or extend your period of stay.

Required documents

• Integrated application form (report form) (Enforcement Rule of the Immigration Act, Form No. 34, with the change of status of sojourn item marked)
• Passport and alien registration card
• Certificate of graduation or certificate of expected graduation from the trained professional technical department
• Certificate of completion of Level 4 or higher of the Korea Immigration and Integration Program, or TOPIK Level 5 or higher score report
• Employment contract (starting annual salary of 26,000,000 won or more, contract period of 1 year or longer)
• Employer's business registration certificate (certificate of corporate registration for corporations) and company and job materials showing the relationship to the major
• Fee (change of status of sojourn 100,000 won)
• Letter of authorization (when an administrative agent submits on your behalf)

Fees

Typically in the range of several hundred thousand won across the industry · We will advise after consultation, based on the scope of checking the designated department and Korean language requirements and organizing materials on the employer's job relevance. The immigration fee (change of status of sojourn 100,000 won) is separate.

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

• Immigration Act, Article 20
• Immigration Act, Article 24
• Immigration Act, Article 26
• Immigration Act, Article 79-2
• Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Act, Article 30
• Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Act, Annex 1-2, Item 20
• Enforcement Rule of the Immigration Act, Article 72
• Enforcement Rule of the Immigration Act, Annex 5-2
• Enforcement Rule of the Immigration Act, Form No. 34
• Ministry of Justice Public Notice No. 2025-379 (Call for Trained Professional Technical Departments at Junior Colleges)

Checked against the statutes on 2026-10-15

Statutes and public notices change, so each case needs to be checked individually. Statute titles are given in English for reference. The Korean statutes are the authoritative text.

Check these first

• E-7-M is a pilot running from January 2026 to December 31, 2027, and whether it is extended or made permanent will be decided by a performance evaluation before it ends, so if you graduate after that, check Ministry of Justice announcements again.
• Submitting an employment contract not backed by actual work and salary payment constitutes submission of false documents under Article 26 of the Immigration Act, and the permission may be revoked.

Frequently asked questions