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South Korea Points-based Resident Visa

South Korea Points-based Resident Visa

The South Korea F-2-7 Points-based Resident Visa is a long-term residency program for applicants who meet the 80-point threshold across criteria such as age, education, and income. It allows independent employment or business establishment without requiring employer sponsorship. Successful applicants may include their spouse and dependent children, and become eligible to apply for permanent residency after three years of continuous residence. This is a merit-based mobility pathway tailored for highly educated and high-income professionals.

Image by Robson Hatsukami Morgan

Time to residency

3-6 months

Visa-free travel

Korea Passport Mobility 189 countries and regions

(via passportranking.com)

Passport rank

Country Passport Rank: 20th globally

(via passportranking.com)

Residency requirement

Not strictly specified for initial visa maintenance, but required for PR transition

Taxation

Standard progressive tax rates apply

Established time

Program launched in 2013

Image by Cait Ellis

Application Requirements

  • Main Applicant: Must be 18 years old or above;

  • Must fall into one of the following four categories:

    ① Listed Company Employee:
    Employed by, or having signed an employment contract with, a company listed on KOSPI or KOSDAQ in South Korea.

    ② High-Income Technology Professional:
    Engaged in cutting-edge technology industries such as IT, biotechnology, nanotechnology, new energy, or semiconductors, with an annual salary of at least 1.5 times Korea’s average GNI [approximately KRW 63 million(approximately USD 46,600 or above)]. with an annual salary of at least 1.5 times Korea's average GNI (subject to the latest official GNI data announced by the Bank of Korea)

    ③ Senior Professional:
    Holding an E-1 (Professor) to E-7 (Specialty Occupation) visa, or a D-5 to D-9 (Intra-company Transfer / Trade) visa, and having continuously resided and worked in Korea for at least 3 years.
    (If the annual salary exceeds KRW 40 million(apptoximately USD 29,600), the 3-year residence requirement may be waived.)

    ④ Highly Educated Korean Graduate:
    Holding a master’s degree or above from an accredited Korean university, having graduated within the past 5 years, and having secured a professional job in Korea (no minimum salary requirement).

  • Points Requirement:
    According to the official points system, the total score must reach 80 points or above, based on factors such as age, education, Korean language proficiency, annual income, and bonus items;

  • Health Requirement:
    Must pass a medical examination and have no high-risk infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis;

  • Employment Background Restrictions:

  • No restricted industry employment prior to application (within the past 3 years, applicants must not have worked in adult entertainment venues or nightlife establishments; within the past 6 months, applicants must not have engaged in unskilled manual labor, such as courier delivery, construction labor, or unspecialized assembly line operations).

  • Criminal Record:
    Must have no serious criminal record worldwide.

    • In Korea: Within the past 3 years, fines must not exceed KRW 3 million (approximately USD 2,200). Serious offenses such as DUI, assault, or three or more violations of immigration regulations will result in application ineligibility;

    • Outside Korea: Applicants must not have been sentenced to imprisonment or fixed-term imprisonment (including suspended sentences). Any history of drug offenses, sexual crimes, telecom fraud, or threats/intimidation is grounds for disqualification.

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"All point requirements and immigration policies are subject to the latest official regulations published by the South Korean Ministry of Justice. Globevisa provides objective, policy-based assessment."

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