Types of Work Visa Offered in Korea
To work in South Korea, or any other country, you need to know what are the various categories of work visas available to you as a foreigner.
Below is a list of all the work visas available in Korea and a brief description of what they are.
Categories of Employment Visas in Korea
C-4 Visa – Temporary Employment
(Temporary employment – Lectures, research or technical training, short-term entertainer, etc.)
E-1 Visa – Professorship
(Lecturer or researcher in field of expertise at an above-college-level facility)
E-2 Visa – Foreign Language Instructor
(Conversational language instructor at a school, linguistic facility or similar organization)
E-3 Visa – Research
(Research and Development – Natural science or advanced technology)
E-4 Visa – Technological Guidance
(Expertise in a natural science or advanced technology field)
E-5 Visa – Professional Employment
(Professionals with an international license who wish to practice in Korea)
E-6 Visa – Arts & Performance
(Entertainers, athletes, models, etc.)
E-7 Visa – Special Occupation
(All other special activities, determined by the Ministry of Justice)
E-9 Visa – Non-Professional Employment
(Non-specialized employment)
E-10 Visa – Vessel Crew
(Member of a vessel crew)
H-1 Visa – Working Holiday
(Short term employment – MOU between home country and Korea required)
If you come across a job posting from a Korean company and you would be based in Korea, it would be good to contact them and ask about the requirements specific to the company and prepare all the necessary documents. They would likely guide you through the application process since you would need a sponsor letter from them before you can proceed.
Unlike teaching English Language in Korea where there are a lot of notable recruitment agency, jobs in any other industry/field do not have that. So, it is important to make sure that correspondence with the hiring companies (or the third party recruitment agency if there’s one) is clear.