Guide · as of 2026-08-08
E-7 sponsorship: the three gates
An E-7 (특정활동) hire clears three tests: the occupation must be on the Ministry of Justice’s designated list, the salary must meet the MOJ minimum for the E-7 subtype (for applications from 2026-02-01 through 2026-12-31: ₩31,120,000/year for E-7-1 (professional), ₩25,890,000 for E-7-2 (semi-professional) and E-7-3 (general skilled), ₩26,000,000 for E-7-4 (skilled worker)), and the employer must satisfy national-employment protection criteria. All three are checked again at extension and change of workplace, not only at first issuance.
Gate 1: the occupation list
E-7 exists only for occupations MOJ has designated by code (KSCO-mapped), grouped into E-7-1 managers/professionals, E-7-2 semi-professionals, E-7-3 general skilled, and E-7-4 skilled workers. If the job title isn’t on the list, or the duties don’t match the listed code’s description, no salary level fixes it. The full designated-occupation list with codes is maintained at /e-7.
Gate 2: salary floors
| Subtype | Minimum annual salary (2026-02-01 – 2026-12-31) | Prior period (2025-04-01 – 2026-01-31) |
|---|---|---|
| E-7-1 professional | ₩31,120,000 | ₩28,670,000 |
| E-7-2 semi-professional | ₩25,890,000 | ₩25,150,000 |
| E-7-3 general skilled | ₩25,890,000 | ₩25,150,000 |
| E-7-4 skilled worker | ₩26,000,000 | ₩26,000,000 |
Mechanism notes:
- Until 2025-03-31 the E-7-1 floor was expressed as a share of the previous year’s per-capita GNI (80%, with a 70% concession for SMEs/venture firms). The 2025-04-01 revision (법무부 고시 제2025-106호) replaced this with unified fixed won amounts applying to every employer regardless of size (unverified: whether the current notice still states a GNI formula behind the fixed figures; third-party writeups conflict).
- The E-7-2/E-7-3 floors track the annualized minimum wage (2026: ₩10,320/hour ≈ ₩25.89M/year on a 209-hour month).
- The floor is assessed on base salary in the employment contract; stock options and discretionary bonuses are generally not counted (2026 practitioner guidance).
- The 2026 figures apply to new issuance, change of status, and extensions alike.
Gate 3: employer-side requirements
- National-employment cap (국민고용 보호 심사기준): for occupations subject to the cap, E-7 headcount is limited to 20% of Korean national employees, which in practice requires at least 5 nationals on payroll before the first E-7 hire; venture-certified startups and designated new-industry firms can receive relaxed treatment (unverified: exact cap scope per occupation; some E-7-1 occupations are exempt from the cap).
- Substantiated business: business registration, revenue/financials adequate to pay the offered wage, and a written employment-necessity statement (고용사유서) are part of the standard file.
- Applicant-side qualification defaults: master’s degree, or bachelor’s + 1 year of field experience, or 5+ years of field experience (unverified: current baseline in the MOJ manual), with occupation-specific overrides.
Fees and processing
Visa issuance runs through a Certificate of Confirmation of Visa Issuance (사증발급인정서) applied for by the employer, or direct consular application. In-country change of status to E-7 costs ₩100,000; extensions ₩60,000 (출입국관리법 시행규칙 fee schedule, effective 2026-01-23).