The types of visas that foreign students who obtained a degree in Korea can change after graduation are as follows.
1. General visa that can be changed
1) Job Seeking (D-10) Visa
If you graduated from college in Korea but were unable to find a job, you can change to a job seeking (D-10) visa if you meet certain score requirements. However, you cannot work on a job-seeking (D-10) visa until it is changed to a work-ready visa.
2) Specified Activities (E-7) Visa
If you are confirmed to be employed at a job related to your major after graduation, you can change to a Specified Activities (E-7) visa. The Specified Activities (E-7) visa is a visa that can only be changed for limited occupations, and changes can only be made if both the individual and the company meet the requirements of the Specified Activities (E-7) visa.
Therefore, if you are considering changing to a Specified Activities (E-7) visa after graduation, you will need to receive professional consulting to acquire a major and certification that are advantageous to the relevant occupation.
3) Marriage (F-6) visa
While studying abroad, ① if you are married to a Korean, ② if you have a child born out of wedlock to a Korean, or ③ if you are married to a Korean spouse and are responsible for the death or disappearance of your Korean spouse while staying in Korea. If you cannot maintain a normal marital relationship for any reason, you can change to a marriage (F-6) visa.
2. Regional-specific (F-2-R) visa
Due to the rapid decline in the local population, we are issuing regional-specific (F-2-R) visas with greatly relaxed visa conditions for foreigners wishing to reside in local areas.
If you want to get a job or start a business while staying in a local area, you can change to an F-2-R visa, and you must continue to reside in the area for a certain period of time (2 years) while working in an industry designated by the local government. Although there are these regional restrictions, for international students who wish to settle in the country, it may be an opportunity to prepare for another visa while living in the region and working at the same time.
However, since the requirements for each local government are different (certain local governments require graduation from a university in the region), it is necessary to receive consulting on the region in which you can apply before applying for a visa.
This is the most recommended visa at this point, and we will introduce the region-specific (F-2-R) visa in detail in a separate column.
3. Necessity of legal consultation with a lawyer
The Korean government announced that it would expand work visas for international students after graduation in 2023, but no specific measures have been put forward so far. However, due to the rapid decline in Korea's productive workforce, it is expected that there will be drastic changes in the international student employment system in the next few years.
In response to population decline, immigration policies are constantly changing, including the establishment of a new regional-specific visa (F-2-R). Accordingly, you must strive to meet the requirements according to changing immigration policies while studying abroad, and legal consultation with a professional attorney will be necessary during this process. I will provide you with the best legal help based on my experience working as an immigration officer.
* This is related to immigration policy as of the posting date. For specific details, we recommend that you contact the office for consultation (TEL: 031-8019-9328, Email: info@immikr.com).