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South Korea Eases E-7-4 Visa Path for Long-Serving Workers

South Korea's Ministry of Justice announced on 22 October 2026 a reform of the E-7-4 Skilled Worker visa, the main route for factory, farm, fishing and construction workers to move from short-term permits to long-term stay. The plan cuts paperwork for visa extensions, rewards workers who stay with one employer, eases the path to F-2 resident status and sets out a clear ladder to F-5 permanent residence.

If you hold an E-9 (Employment Permit System) or E-10 (seafarer) visa, or you employ workers on these visas, this change affects your next few years in Korea. Here is what the ministry announced, what stays the same for now and how you should prepare.

What the Ministry of Justice announced

The announcement came from the ministry's Residence Management Division under acting Justice Minister Lee Jin-soo. The press release carries the title "Toward a system where long years of work lead to settlement," and lists four main measures.

Fewer documents for extensions. The ministry will cut the documents needed to extend an E-7-4 period of stay from 12 or more down to seven or fewer.
An online work visa guide. HiKorea, the government immigration portal, will pilot a "Work Visa Guide" service. You will be able to search jobs by name or keyword, check qualifications and wage standards, calculate your E-7-4 points and print a document checklist for your application type.
Extra points for long service. Workers who stay with the same company for a long time will receive more bonus points, based on length of service, when they apply to switch to E-7-4.
A shorter road to F-2. The ministry will ease the length-of-stay requirement for E-7-4 holders who later apply for F-2 resident status.

The ministry also plans to issue an official notice (a gosi, or administrative announcement) setting out each step from E-9 or E-10 to E-7-4, then F-2 and finally F-5 permanent residence. The goal is for employers to plan hiring over several years and for workers to map their own route to settlement in advance.

Why the ministry made these changes

The E-7-4 route grew fast after the government raised the annual quota from 2,000 to 35,000 in September 2023. As of September 2026, 52,648 foreign workers held E-7-4 status, according to the ministry. For 2026, the ministry set the annual E-7-4 issuance level at 33,000 in a February announcement.

To mark three years of the expanded system, the ministry's Korea Immigration Service ran a survey in June 2026 with the Korea Federation of SMEs and the Human Resources Development Service of Korea (HRD Korea). The survey covered 470 businesses and 316 foreign workers. The results, as reported from the ministry release, show where the system hurts:

53.5% of foreign workers named getting a Korean language test score as their biggest difficulty in switching status.
18.7% of foreign workers pointed to complicated procedures.
30.1% of employers named the burden of documents and administrative steps.
85.3% of employers and 81.3% of workers said they intended to use the switch to E-7-4.
75.7% of employers said the system helped them, most often because of long-term employment and stable staffing (38.4%).

Lee Jin-soo said the reform does not aim to raise the number of foreign workers entering Korea. Instead, the ministry wants workers who have already worked hard in Korean industry for years to keep working in a stable way and settle in local communities.

How the E-7-4 route works today

The E-7-4 visa uses a points system. You apply from inside Korea, with a recommendation from your current employer, after years of work on a non-professional visa. Under the 2026 selection plan, as published by the ministry and summarised by Korean immigration advisers, the core rules look like this:

You need at least four years of stay on E-9, E-10 or H-2 status within the last 10 years.
You need a recommendation from the employer you work for now, and a job contract with them.
The scale runs to 300 points, and you need at least 200 to pass.
You also need a minimum score in both income and Korean language. A high score in one does not cover a low score in the other.
Applications go through HiKorea e-services from 1 March to 31 December 2026, or until the quota fills, with filing days set by the last digit of your birth year.

The quota splits across several tracks, including employer recommendation, central ministry recommendation and regional government recommendation. Check the current notice on HiKorea for the exact split and your filing day, since the ministry updates these tables each year.

What changes for workers

Loyalty to one employer will count for more

The biggest practical shift is the larger bonus for long service at one workplace. If you have stayed with the same company through several E-9 contracts, your points total should rise once the new scoring applies. This matters most for workers who sit a few points under the 200-point pass mark, often because of a modest Korean test result.

The ministry has not yet published the new point values or the date the new scoring starts. Keep your records ready now: employment contracts, payslips, tax records and your alien registration history all prove length of service.

Less paperwork at renewal

E-7-4 holders renew their stay at regular intervals. Each renewal now needs a stack of 12 or more documents. A cut to seven or fewer saves you time off work and trips to the immigration office. Until the new list appears, prepare the full current set, because the old rules apply until the ministry says otherwise.

A faster move to F-2 residence

F-2 resident status gives you far more freedom than E-7-4, including the right to change jobs more easily and a stronger base for family life in Korea. A shorter stay requirement for F-2 brings this closer for long-serving E-7-4 holders. Watch for the gosi notice, which should state the new period.

What changes for employers

Korean small and medium firms in manufacturing, shipbuilding, agriculture and fishing depend on E-9 and E-10 workers. These businesses told the survey they want stable, long-term staff above all. The reform gives you three things:

A reason for skilled workers to stay with you, since long service now earns more points.
A lighter admin load at each renewal.
A published pathway to F-5, so you plan training and promotion around a known timeline.

Your recommendation remains essential to every E-7-4 application. Keep employment records accurate and pay wages on time, since income and length of service both feed the points score.

What to do now

Check your eligibility. Once the HiKorea Work Visa Guide goes live, use the points calculator to see how close you are to 200 points.
Work on your Korean. Language scores were the top barrier in the survey. A higher TOPIK or Korea Immigration and Integration Program (KIIP) level lifts your points and your F-2 chances.
Stay put if you are close. If you are near the pass mark, staying with your current employer is likely to help once the new long-service points apply.
Keep your paperwork in order. Collect contracts, payslips, tax certificates and your employer's business registration documents.
Watch for the official notice. The ministry has announced the direction but not the start date. Follow HiKorea and the Korea Immigration Service news pages, or call the 1345 Immigration Contact Center.
Use official channels only. Be wary of anyone who promises guaranteed E-7-4 approval for a fee. The ministry says the online guide has no legal force and each case gets a separate decision at an immigration office or embassy, so no outcome is guaranteed.

The bigger picture

Korea faces a shrinking working-age population, and small firms outside Seoul struggle to keep trained staff. The E-7-4 route already moved more than 52,000 temporary workers into long-term skilled status. This reform does not aim to raise the yearly intake. The focus is on keeping workers who already know Korean workplaces. For you, the message is clear: steady service, better Korean and clean records now lead along a defined path from a work permit to permanent residence.

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South Korea Eases E-7-4 Skilled Worker Visa Path for Long-Serving Workers