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Employment Authorization & Eligibility
Foreign nationals who wish to work in Korea must obtain the necessary visas authorizing their employment.
※ Types of visas authorizing employment: Short-term employment (C-4), Professors (E-1), Language Instructors (E-2), Researchers (E-3), Technology Instruction (E-4), Specialty Occupation (E-5), Particular Occupation (E-7), and Training Employment (E-8)
Foreign residents authorized to be employed in Korea must work for a designated employer.
Employers of foreign workers must report any major change in the foreign worker’s employment situation, such as dismissal, resignation or substantial modification of employment contract, within 15 days of the date of occurrence of said change.
Extension of Stay, and Adding or Changing Employer
If a foreign resident wishes to engage in activities that are not authorized under his or her entry visa, or to undertake activities in addition to the activities provisioned by his or her status upon entry, these must be petitioned for and approved by the Korean Ministry of Justice in advance.
If a foreign resident wishes to change employers or add a new employer, within the bounds allowed by his or her entry visa, such modification must be petitioned for and approved by the Ministry of Justice in advance.
When a foreign resident intends to stay beyond his or her authorized duration of stay, this must be petitioned for and approved by the Ministry of Justice, before the date of expiration of the stay.
Industrial Training for Foreigners
Industrial training programs for foreigners, created for the purpose of promoting international technological cooperation, allow workers from developing countries to receive training at Korean companies. This system further authorizes foreign workers to obtain employment for a period of up to 2 years, if they successfully pass the technical qualification examinations administered upon completion of the training, or if they complete job training following their technological training.
- During the industrial training period, the trainee undergoes a one-year program at a training company recommended by an authorized agency (type of visa: D-3).
Trainee recommending agencies enroll trainees through dispatching organizations in the trainee’s country of origin, and assign the trainee to a training company, while the dispatching organizations are responsible for the day-to-day administration of industrial trainees. - Upon the completion of training, foreign industrial trainees may be employed by the training company or by another accredited company for a period of up to 2 years, provided that they successfully pass the technological qualification tests, or satisfactorily complete job training subsequent to the technological training.
At such point, the visa is accordingly adjusted, from industrial trainee visa (D-3) to training employment visa (E-8). During their period as trainee workers, they are protected by all of Korea’s labor laws, including the Labor Standards Act.
