Seasonal Worker
- Holders · 2024-12
- 24,530
- Arrivals · 2026-06
- 5,112 +38.6% YoY
- Subtypes
- 9
- Top nationality
- Vietnam 13,541
The E-8 (Seasonal Worker) visa covers 9 designated subtypes including 농업장기(E-8-1), 농업장기(E-8-2), 어업장기(E-8-3). 24,530 foreign nationals held it as of the latest MOJ cross-tab (2024-12-31; all sojourners, including short-term), with Vietnam the largest group (13,541). Application and extension fees are listed with legal citations on the official fee table.
From the MOJ manual · as of 2026-07-31Who qualifies & how
Eligibility. Seasonal workers in crop farming/harvesting (including linked primary processing) and raw fishery processing, admitted through local governments: foreign residents recommended under municipality-to-municipality MOUs (E-8-1 agriculture, E-8-3 fishery); relatives within the 4th degree of marriage migrants (E-8-2/E-8-4); returning workers who did seasonal work on G-1 status (E-8-5/E-8-6); parents of international students meeting requirements (E-8-7/E-8-8); interpreter/support staff (E-8-99). National allocation is set by an inter-ministerial committee; up to 14 workers per farm.
Work rights. Seasonal agricultural or fishery work only, for the assigned farm/fishery household in the sponsoring municipality; municipalities handle the visa procedure and monitoring.
Duration. Employment for up to 8 months per entry (the 90-day C-4 seasonal track was discontinued from 2025).
Pathways. Good-record workers can be re-recommended for repeat seasonal entry (dedicated subcodes exist for returning G-1 seasonal workers).
Fees: change of status ₩100,000. The full table with legal citations is on /fees.
Applications are filed by the municipality via Confirmation of Visa Issuance; individual document checklists were not itemized in the extracted section.
Some details for this visa were only partially itemized in the source manual, so treat the lists as indicative.
Official taxonomySubtypes (9)
| Code | Name (한국어) | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| E-8-1 | 농업장기(E-8-1) | 장기계절근로(MOU농업) |
| E-8-2 | 농업장기(E-8-2) | 장기계절근로(개인추천농업) |
| E-8-3 | 어업장기(E-8-3) | 장기계절근로(MOU어업) |
| E-8-4 | 어업장기(E-8-4) | 장기계절근로(개인추천어업) |
| E-8-5 | 농업장기(E-8-5) | 장기계절근로(농업분야기타자격재입국) |
| E-8-6 | 어업장기(E-8-6) | 장기계절근로(어업분야기타자격재입국) |
| E-8-7 | 농업장기(E-8-7) | 장기계절근로(유학생추천농업) |
| E-8-8 | 어업장기(E-8-8) | 장기계절근로(유학생추천어업) |
| E-8-99 | 계절근로보조인력(E-8-99) | 장기계절근로(기타분야보조인력) |
Who holds itE-8 holders by nationality
| Nationality | Registered holders | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Vietnam 베트남 | 13,541 | 55.2% |
| Philippines 필리핀 | 4,454 | 18.2% |
| Laos 라오스 | 3,183 | 13.0% |
| Cambodia 캄보디아 | 1,445 | 5.9% |
| Nepal 네팔 | 638 | 2.6% |
| Mongolia 몽골 | 490 | 2.0% |
| Uzbekistan 우즈베키스탄 | 272 | 1.1% |
| Thailand 타이 | 263 | 1.1% |
| Indonesia 인도네시아 | 94 | 0.4% |
| China 중국 | 70 | 0.3% |
TrendMonthly arrivals on the E-8
In 2026-06, 5,112 people entered Korea on an E-8 visa, up 38.6% from a year earlier.
| Month | Arrivals | Relative volume |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-07 | 3,131 | |
| 2025-08 | 5,678 | |
| 2025-09 | 6,290 | |
| 2025-10 | 7,688 | |
| 2025-11 | 5,260 | |
| 2025-12 | 4,299 | |
| 2026-01 | 2,313 | |
| 2026-02 | 3,885 | |
| 2026-03 | 19,307 | |
| 2026-04 | 25,887 | |
| 2026-05 | 14,937 | |
| 2026-06 | 5,112 |
Verified against source · 2026-08-17