South Korea

Before you apply

• The rules changed on 30 June 2026: the pilot ended and the F-1-D became a permanent programme with better terms. Most guides online still describe the old pilot.
• Income is now TIERED BY AGE AND REGION. Standard: 2× Korea's GNI per capita (~$74,000/year). But if you are aged 18–34 AND live outside Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, you need only 1× GNI (~$37,000) — half the bar. The brackets in between have not been published yet.
• Maximum stay was extended from 2 years to 3.
• Unlike Japan, you DO get an Alien Registration Card if you stay over 90 days — so you CAN open a Korean bank account and get a phone contract.
• You need at least one year of prior experience in the same industry, and to be 18 or older.
• Pure freelancers may not qualify: the programme is written around employees of overseas companies and owners of foreign businesses. Confirm with the consulate before you prepare documents.
• Over 183 days you become a tax resident, but foreign income NOT remitted to Korea is exempt for the first 5 years.