E-7-4 skilled worker visa needs 200 of 300 points and a 2-year contract

This guide is for workers on E-9 (non-professional employment), E-10 (crew) or H-2 (working visit) status who have worked in Korea for years, and for their employers. Under the K-point E74 system, these workers can switch to the skilled worker status E-7-4 (숙련기능인력) on points. It follows the Ministry of Justice (법무부) stay manual updated on October 19, 2026, which carries the E-7-4 guideline in force from August 31, 2026.

What E-7-4 gives you

• E-7-4 is granted only by a change of status inside Korea. There is no new E-7-4 visa from abroad.
• Each grant lasts up to 2 years, within the employment contract.
• E-7-4 is an E-7 status, so a spouse and minor children fall under the dependant status F-3 (동반). Workers who use the Korean-language deferral and then fail it cannot invite family.
• The current K-point E74 rules have applied since September 25, 2023. The 2026 plan offers 33,000 places.

Four basic conditions

You must meet all four:

1. At least 4 years in total on E-9, E-10 or H-2 within the last 10 years, as a registered foreigner now working normally at your current workplace. The years need not be continuous: 2 years on E-9 from 2017 to 2019 plus 2 years after re-entering in 2022 count as 4. Workers with 3 years outside Seoul, Gyeonggi and Incheon who are recommended by a provincial or metropolitan government also qualify.
2. A contract with your current employer for at least 2 more years at ₩26,000,000 a year or more (₩25,890,000 in agriculture, livestock, fishing and coastal shipping). Base pay plus allowances counts. The contract should start on the application date and state both conditions.
3. A recommendation from your current employer after at least 1 year there. Earlier periods with the same employer count, and so does time with a previous employer you left for reasons that were not your fault, such as closure, abuse or unpaid wages.
4. At least 200 of 300 points, bonus points included, with at least 50 points each for income and Korean.

You are excluded with a fine of ₩3,000,000 or more, 4 or more Immigration Act violations or 3 months or more of illegal stay (each within 10 years), unpaid taxes until they are paid, or a risk to public safety or order.

The points table

Income and Korean can bring up to 240 of the 300 basic points. In agriculture, livestock, fishing and coastal shipping, the 50-point band starts at ₩24,000,000. Income is the last 2 years' total divided by 2, taken from the income certificate (소득금액증명원) issued by the tax office. If a gap abroad makes this impossible, use the 2 highest years from 2021 to 2025.

Korean is proven by TOPIK, the Korea Immigration and Integration Program (사회통합프로그램, KIIP) or its pre-test. A pre-test score of 41 or more does not count if your speaking score placed you at level 0, and pre-test results expire after 2 years. You may retake the test.

Bonus points and deductions

Time in depopulation areas and town or township areas can be added up, but the 20 points are given once, and a place that is both is not counted twice. Distance-learning and credit-bank degrees count.

Deductions reach 50 points at most and cover events within 10 years: fines under ₩3,000,000 (5, 10 or 20 points by number of times), tax arrears that restricted your stay (5, 10 or 15) and up to 3 Immigration Act violations handled by administrative action, not counting administrative fines (5, 10 or 15). The annex table in the manual still says "under ₩1,000,000"; the main text moved to ₩3,000,000 on July 9, 2026.

If you meet everything except Korean, with 150 points or more, the Korean requirement can be deferred to your first extension (2 years). This option runs until December 31, 2026. Falling short after 2 years means no family invitation and only 6-month stays, and failing again within 6 months ends your stay.

Employer rules and recommendations

• The employer must now employ at least one E-9, E-10 or H-2 worker normally and owe no national, local or customs taxes.
• E-7-4 workers may reach 30% of Korean staff, or 50% in depopulation areas, root industries (뿌리산업) and agriculture, livestock and fisheries, rounded up. An employer of E-9 or E-10 workers gets at least 1 (2 in those sectors) even without Korean staff. Construction firms get 0.4 workers per ₩100,000,000 of construction capacity or average yearly construction value, whichever is better.
• Korean staff means Koreans on the employment insurance roster for 3 months or more, paid at least the minimum wage, so firms usually apply 3 months after opening.
• Unpaid wages, assault or illegal hiring cancels the right to recommend for 5 years.
• Central ministry recommendations come by sector from the ministries of employment and labor, trade and industry, agriculture, oceans and fisheries, land and transport, and SMEs. They send weekly lists to the Ministry of Justice, so you only mark it on your self-assessment sheet.
• A worker recommended by a province or metropolitan city must keep an address there for at least 2 years after the change, or 3 years with the same employer under the non-capital rule.

The 2026 places: 12,000 for the employer-recommendation track, 6,300 for central ministries, 8,500 for provinces and metropolitan cities and 6,200 held flexibly.

How to apply online

1. Apply through HiKorea (하이코리아) e-application. Paper filing is allowed only when the office finds it unavoidable, for example for elderly applicants, remote areas or very large files.
2. File on your weekday: birth years ending in 1 or 6 on Monday, 2 or 7 Tuesday, 3 or 8 Wednesday, 4 or 9 Thursday, 5 or 0 Friday. The service runs on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
3. Upload files of 2MB or less (jpg, bmp, png, tif or pdf). The photo must be a jpg of 95KB or less.
4. Worker papers: integrated application form (Form No. 34), passport copy, self-assessment sheet, personal statement (신상 기술서), standard E-7-4 employment contract, income certificates, a TOPIK score report if you use TOPIK (KIIP proof need not be attached) and a guarantee (신원보증서) signed by the employer. Workplace papers: business or farm registration, national and local tax payment certificates, the social insurance roster (construction firms add proof of construction value) and the employer's recommendation with the signer's ID copy. Add bonus-point proofs and sector papers if they apply.
5. Set the guarantee period to at least 2 years; a shorter guarantee means a shorter stay. A passport with under 6 months left can be treated as having 6 months, once, with a signed confirmation.

Contracts that run into 2027 must also meet the 2027 minimum wage of ₩10,700 an hour, or ₩2,236,300 a month for 209 hours. That is ₩26,835,600 a year for full-time work, above the ₩26,000,000 floor. See 2027 minimum wage ₩10,700: notify workers by December 31, 2026.

Checklist

• Count your E-9, E-10 and H-2 years within the last 10 years.
• Sign a 2-year contract at ₩26,000,000 or more and get your employer's recommendation.
• Score yourself: 50+ for income, 50+ for Korean and 200+ in total.
• Gather the worker and workplace papers and a guarantee of at least 2 years.
• File on HiKorea on your weekday, between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.