E-7-M trained technical professional status change

Procedure

Procedure

1. 01

   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. 02

   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. 03

   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. 04

   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. 05

   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.

Filing route

Filing route

Deadlines & processing notes

Deadlines & processing notes

Fees & official charges

Fees & official charges

Included in the basic fee — Initial document review, required-document guidance, basic form preparation, one filing support and responses to up to two supplement requests.

Conditional success fee — For this service, any conditional success fee may be separately agreed within the lawful service scope and stated in a written engagement agreement. No outcome is guaranteed.

Displayed amounts are starting estimates, not statutory or standard rates. The final fee is confirmed after consultation and document review in the engagement agreement. Government fees and actual expenses may change.

Basic documents

Basic documents

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.