Policy Guidance on granting professional work status (E-7) to skilled foreign worker in Korea

1. Principle
- To select eligible outstanding talents among foreign workers and allow them to continue working as a skilled professional worker. With the maximum quota by company, regulations on the residence of foreigns become stricter.

* Selected skilled workers will be given special occupation permit, the E-7 visa (the certification of status change or visa issuance will be issued).

2. Application Qualification
- Applicants must lawfully stay in Korea as a worker in manufacturing, construction or agriculture, livestock and fishery under non- professional employment permit (E-9), vessel crew permit (E-10) or work visit permit (H-2) and fulfill all of the following qualifications.

   QUALIFICATIONS
    - Lawfully working in manufacturing, construction or agriculture, livestock and fishery for 4 years or more
       within the past 10 years.
    - Aged less than 35 with academic degree higher than 2 year junior college.
    - Obtaining higher license than Craftsman in the field of work or having made higher annual income than
       the filed average over the recent 1 year.
    - Obtaining higher Korean language skill than level 3 or completing social integration program course.

3. Quota by Industry and Company

	Quota 1	Quota 2	Quota 3	Quota 4	Quota 5
Industy
Manufacturing (No. of workers under employment insurance)	10-49	50-149	150-299	300-499	500 or more
Construction (Average annual construction fee)	Less than 5 billion won	Less than 5-30 billion won	Less than 30- 50 billion won	Less than 50- 70 billion won	70 billion won or more
Agriculture, Livestock and Fishery (No. of regular workers)	30 or less	31- 99	100 or more

4. Application Procedure
- Apply for the status change at the immigration office which has jurisdiction over the location of the company where the applicant is working (Authorized recipients are allowed to apply)

  REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
  - Application Form
  - Passport
  - Alien registration Card
  - Proof of Employment certificate (career included)
  - Employment Contract Document
  - Academic Certificate
  - License or withholding tax receipt
  - Report Card of Korean Proficiency Test or Certificate of Social Integration Program Completion.

5. Starting Date: From Oct 10, 2011
For more information visit: http://www.hikorea.go.kr/  or call immigration contact center (1345)

The information above was given to me by the Incheon Counseling Center for Foreign Workers