After studying here, I got a job — how do I switch to an E-7 professional visa?
I graduated from a university in Korea and received a full-time offer from an IT company. I'm currently on a D-10 visa and heard I need to switch to an E-7 visa. What are the education and salary requirements, what documents does the company need to prepare, and how long does processing take?
1 Answer
I made the same D-10 to E-7 switch after finishing my degree here, so here's how it went. E-7 is for designated professional occupations and IT developer roles qualify, and you generally need at least a bachelor's degree in a related field, though as a graduate of a Korean university the education and experience criteria are applied more flexibly. Watch the salary: they usually want it at or above a set share of the national income per capita, and in practice an annual figure around 30 million won is often the working threshold, so confirm your offer. Your company prepares the employment paperwork, including business registration, the employment contract, tax and financial records, and a letter explaining why they're hiring a foreigner, and you bring your diploma, transcript, and resume. Book a slot on HiKorea and apply for the change at your immigration office. Mine took about three weeks to process.