Specific Activities (Skilled Worker)
- Holders · 2024-12
- 63,580
- Arrivals · 2026-06
- 6,351 0.0% YoY
- Subtypes
- 10
- Top nationality
- Vietnam 11,597
The E-7 (Specific Activities (Skilled Worker)) visa covers: 특정활동. 63,580 foreign nationals held it as of the latest MOJ cross-tab (2024-12-31; all sojourners, including short-term), with Vietnam the largest group (11,597). Application and extension fees are listed with legal citations on the official fee table.
→ The E-7 is occupation-gated. See all 94 qualifying occupations with KSCO codes.
From the MOJ manual · as of 2026-07-31Who qualifies & how
Eligibility. Contract-based work in one of 94 MOJ-designated occupations: E-7-1 professionals (67 occupations), E-7-2 semi-professionals (10), E-7-3 general skilled (14), E-7-4 skilled workers via points system (3), plus E-7-S (negative-list high earners/advanced industry), E-7-T (top-tier talent), E-7-Y (domestically raised youth) and E-7-91 (FTA independent professionals). General qualification: related master's degree, or related bachelor's plus 1 year experience, or 5 years' field experience; waivers include domestic associate/bachelor graduates, world top-university graduates, Fortune-500 experience, GNI-multiple earners, and D-10-3 tech interns with 1 year and pay of at least 1x GNI.
Work rights. Only the designated occupation for the sponsoring employer; occupation-specific employer requirements, foreign-hire quotas and minimum wage floors apply, and workplace change or addition is subject to report/permission (restricted occupations require a guarantor). Employment recommendation is waived for universities, public institutions and large-company managers.
Duration. Up to 3 years per grant (5 years for ministry-recommended top talent, designated special-zone occupations, and medical-research-cluster researchers).
Extension. Renewable while qualifying employment and occupation requirements continue; no overall cap is stated. Ministry-recommended high earners are first granted 1 year and must show a tax-office income certificate at extension.
Pathways. E-7 → F-2-7 (professional category after 3 years, or immediately with annual income of KRW 40 million or more) → F-5 points-based after 3 years on F-2-7; general F-5 after 5 years on D-7~E-7/F-2; direct F-5 for doctorate holders and certain degree/certificate holders. E-9/E-10/D-2 holders may change into E-7-4 via the skilled-worker points system.
ChecklistRequired documents
- Applicant: passport copy, 1 color photo, employment contract, proof of qualification (degree, career certificates, licenses); foreign documents with Korean or English translation, key documents apostilled/legalized
- Employer: establishment/registration documents, proof of need to hire (invitation rationale statement; employment recommendation letter where the occupation makes it mandatory), national and local tax payment certificates
- Personal guarantee (only occupations with restricted workplace change)
Fees: change of status ₩100,000. The full table with legal citations is on /fees.
→ Guide: E-7 sponsorship requirements & salary floors
E-7-4 skilled-worker quota selection uses a points system introduced 2017-08-01; startup/venture companies may hire professionals without sales for up to 5 years from founding (67 professional occupations only).
Official taxonomySubtypes (10)
| Code | Name (한국어) | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| E-7-1 | 전문인력(E-7-1) | 전문인력 |
| E-7-2 | 준전문인력(E-7-2) | 준전문인력 |
| E-7-3 | 일반기능인력(E-7-3) | 일반기능인력 |
| E-7-4 | 숙련기능인력(E-7-4) | 숙련기능인력점수제 |
| E-7-T | 최우수인재특정활동(E-7-T) | 국내기업과의계약에따라첨단분야에종사하려는사람 |
| E-7-Y | 국내성장인력(E-7-Y) | 국내성장기반외국인청소년취업비자 |
| E-7-4R | 지역특화숙련기능인력(E-7-4R) | 지역특화형비자숙련기능인력 |
| E-7-91 | FTA독립(E-7-91) | FTA 독립전문가 |
| E-7-S1 | 네거티브고소득자(E-7-S1) | 네거티브방식의우수인재중고소득유형자 |
| E-7-S2 | 네거티브첨단분야종사자점수제(E-7-S2) | 네거티브방식의우수인재중점수제유형자 |
Who holds itE-7 holders by nationality
| Nationality | Registered holders | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Vietnam 베트남 | 11,597 | 18.2% |
| China 중국 | 9,522 | 15.0% |
| Nepal 네팔 | 7,849 | 12.3% |
| Sri Lanka 스리랑카 | 5,012 | 7.9% |
| Bangladesh 방글라데시 | 3,749 | 5.9% |
| Indonesia 인도네시아 | 3,564 | 5.6% |
| Myanmar 미얀마 | 2,899 | 4.6% |
| Cambodia 캄보디아 | 2,840 | 4.5% |
| Thailand 타이 | 2,601 | 4.1% |
| Uzbekistan 우즈베키스탄 | 2,246 | 3.5% |
TrendMonthly arrivals on the E-7
In 2026-06, 6,351 people entered Korea on an E-7 visa, up 0.0% from a year earlier.
| Month | Arrivals | Relative volume |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-07 | 6,522 | |
| 2025-08 | 10,440 | |
| 2025-09 | 4,987 | |
| 2025-10 | 10,554 | |
| 2025-11 | 6,248 | |
| 2025-12 | 5,403 | |
| 2026-01 | 8,295 | |
| 2026-02 | 9,966 | |
| 2026-03 | 9,040 | |
| 2026-04 | 7,351 | |
| 2026-05 | 7,333 | |
| 2026-06 | 6,351 |
Verified against source · 2026-08-17