South Korea

Republic of Korea · KOR

Top-Tier visa, regional specialised visas and study-to-work pathways.

L1Exercise normal precautionsActively monitored

Country score

75.0 / 100

1 policy records · 0 in force · 3 visa categories · 1 agencies tracked

Overview

Capital: Seoul
Region: Asia · Eastern Asia
Currency: KRW
Primary language: Korean
Calling code: +82
Time zones: KST (UTC+9)

Mobility categories

Choose a category to see the policies in force for South Korea today.

Study & students0 policies Work & skilled workers1 policy Permanent residence0 policies Citizenship0 policies Family reunification0 policies Tourism & short stay0 policies Business & investment0 policies Humanitarian & asylum0 policies General immigration0 policies

Latest updates

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South KoreaWork PermitsEffective 1 Jun 2026

South Korea expands Top-Tier visa to more advanced technology fields

What changed

Korea's Ministry of Justice announced that it expanded the Top-Tier visa. It added more advanced technology fields. It also made it faster for qualified experts to get permanent residence.

Published 31 May 2026Effective 1 Jun 2026Ministry of Justice — Press releases

Recent announcements

Announced or proposed measures — signalled early, not yet settled law.

South Korea expands Top-Tier visa to more advanced technology fields
Effective 1 Jun 2026 · effective 1 Jun 2026

Visa categories

D-2 Student

Degree study visa with limited part-time work permission.

E-7 Specially Designated Activities

Skilled work visa for designated professional occupations.

Top-Tier Visa

New route for high-value talent in strategic technology sectors.

Government agencies

Ministry of Justice — Korea Immigration ServiceKIS

Administers Korean visas, residence permits, K-ETA and permanent residence.

Official site

Travel information

Advisory

L1Exercise normal precautions

Stable; K-ETA and Top-Tier visa reforms are the active policy areas.

Visa-free access

Visa-free or K-ETA entry for many nationalities; K-ETA exemptions rotate annually.

Passport validity

Passport valid at least 6 months on entry.

Entry requirements

Valid passport
K-ETA or visa depending on nationality
Confirmation of visa issuance number for long stays
Alien registration within 90 days of arrival

goborda country score

Favourable

New top-tier and regional visas open skilled routes; permanent residence remains restrictive.

Route openness 25%: 70/100
Processing speed 20%: 76/100
Policy stability 20%: 88/100
Path to residence 20%: 68/100
Transparency 15%: 74/100

Scores are goborda's editorial assessment of monitored conditions, not a legal or eligibility determination.

Monitored sources

Ministry of Justice — Press releasesTier 1
https://www.moj.go.kr
HiKorea — Immigration noticesTier 1
https://www.hikorea.go.kr

goborda provides monitoring and explanation of publicly available policy information. It is not legal advice. Always confirm with the official source or a licensed immigration professional before acting.