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Non-Professional (E-9)
What is the
employment
permission policy?
Selected Countries (15 states)
Thailand, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Indonesia, Mongol, Pakistan, Uzbekistan,
Cambodia, China, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Kirgizstan, East Timor
What is the Employment Permission Policy? The Employment Permission policy is a labor policy
which allows not only an employer to hire a foreigner, on the basis of the Act on the Employment
of Foreign Workers, but also the employee to work for the employer for up to 4 years and 10
months. The policy is applied to citizens of 15 states which have signed MOUs with the Republic
of Korea since August, 2004.
- A company that has less than 300 permanent employees (standard: employment insurance) or a
small-and-medium company whose total capital is 8000 million KRW or below are eligible to hire
foreign workers.
Activities allowed
and eligible
applicants
Domestic employment of foreign workers in accordance with the Act on Foreign Workers
Employment
- A person meeting the employment qualification standards specified in the Act on the Employment
of Foreign Workers (However, those who want to get professional jobs which require minimum
qualifications and career experiences are NOT included)
Maximum length of
stay You are allowed to stay for up to 3 years
Industries allowed
and Visa Code
Industries
Allowed
Visa
Code Scope of Application Specific Employment Classification
Manufacturing E-9-1 - Company that has less than 300 full-time employees or whose amount of
capital is 8000 million KRW or less
Manufacturing
Grassroots Industry
Construction E-9-2 - All construction companies
�� Not including power plant, steel mill, petrochemistry, construction
company whose construction license is for industrial environment
facilities.
Construction
Agriculture E-9-3 - Cropping, Farming Agriculture - Livestock industry Livestock - Services related to cropping, farming, livestock industry
Agriculture and Livestock
Services
Fishery E-9-4 - Coastal Fishery��Offshore Fishery
Costal․Offshore
Fishery - Aquaculture Industry Aquaculture Industry - Salt Making Salt Making
Service E-9-5
- Construction Waste Industry
Construction Waste
Industry - Cold Storage Industry (for company located onshore)
Cold Storage
Industry - Recycling Material Collection and Sales Industry
Recycling Material
Collection Industry - Books, Magazines, and other printed mateirals publishing industry Publishing - Music and other audio publishing industry
�� Among non-professional employees, coastal&offshore fishery (E-9-4) employees are limited to
those working on a ship that weighs less than 20 tons or in the field of fixed shore net fishing, etc.
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VISAS ISSUED AT
THE DISCRETION
OF THE HEAD OF
THE DIPLOMATIC
MISSION
 CONTENTS
�� Conditions for Criminal Records��
1) The document shall indicate all criminal records across the country
- However, if your country's criminal records check system is inadequate, you can submit a
certification issued by your residential district office
* Resident Address : In china, residential address is not within the jurisdiction of residence
office but census office
2) The certification must be issued within 3 months from the visa issuance application date.
1. An E-9 Non-professional visa will be issued only through the confirmation of visa issuance given
by the head of the immigration (branch) office
2. A visa will be issued to earnest workers or re-entered special employee
A visa will be issued in accordance with a confirmation of visa issuance given by the head of
an immigration (branch) office
Visa application is only possible for a group sent by an organization, which means an individual
visa application is prohibited.
�� If you are a foreign worker, you should take the health examination guided by the respective
sender first and arrive in Korea with a group on the designated date of visa issuance. (individual
arrival is prohibited)
3. Since August 1st, 2012, it is required that you submit the criminal records and the current health
conditions confirmation notes.
1. CRIMINAL RECORDS CONFIRMATIONS
A. Documents requiring confirmations
You need to submit a criminal records issue by an organization with authority from the
respective country
2. Concerning current health conditions
A. Documents requiring confirmations
You should submit a self-written health condition report confirming your current health status
- The confirmation should indicate your pre-existing conditions and medical history in
tuberculosis․hepatitis B․syphilis, drug usage, and mental illness.
B. Issuance Standard
A visa issuance will be limited if you have indicated an ongoing illness on your self-health
examination confirmation note, especially drug addition or tuberculosis which can affect the
Koran public health overall.
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Eligibility for Visa
Issuance
Confirmations
 CONTENTS
REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION
COMMON
APPLICATIONS
�� An application form for confirmation of visa issuance (form
no.21), passport, one standard size photograph
�� A copy of business registration
�� A copy of employment permission and standard labor contract
�� A report on workplace assessment
<Supplementary Documents for All Industries>
Manufacturing - no supplementary documents required
Construction
�� Business Registration of Construction, A
certified copy of register, agreement
between the owner and the contractor
�� A list of foreign workers at the current
ongoing construction site: written by a
construction company responsible for the
respective construction site
1. Visa issuance confirmations will be issued to those eligible for the Non-professional employment(E-9) visa
A. Submitting Application
If a company wants to invite a non-professional employee from another country, then the head
of the company must visit a local immigration (branch) office or request for a visa issuance
confirmation via online (Hunet)
�� For those involved in construction industry, the application should be submitted to an
immigration office which has jurisdiction over the area where the construction site is located.
If you entrust task of inviting an employee to an agency, you may apply for a confirmation of
visa issuance at a representative agency and its branch.
�� An employee of a representative agency is included in the definition of an institution that can
apply for a confirmation of visa issuance on behalf an employer of a non-professional foreign
worker.
Entrusted organizations for each industry
Industry Organization
Manufacturing Korea Federation of Small and Medium
Business
Construction Construction Association of Korea
Fishery, Cold Storage National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives
Agriculture National Agricultural Cooperative Federation
All industries (except cold storage business) Human Resources Development Services of
Korea
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ELIGIBILITY FOR
THE VISA
ISSUANCE
CONFIRMATIONS
 CONTENTS
Agriculture��Livestock
�� A certificate of size of farm (issued by a
head of the relevant agricultural
technology center run by local
governments)
��If you are a crop farmer, you can
submit a certified copy of resident register
instead
Fishery
�� aquaculture : fishery permission (license to
aquaculture, declaration of Inland Water
Fisheries)
Offshore fishery : Ship inspection certificate
Salt Making : Salt Making Permit*
* For salt farm leaseholder, a lease contract
and confirmation of salt making issued by
a mayor or the head of a local village are
required.
Service - No additional documents required
�� The head of the immigration (branch) office may add or subtract required
documents if it is deemed necessary to examine the genuineness of the invitation
and the qualifications of the inviter and the invitee
2. Actions taken for the re-entry of a faithful worker given an employment privilege
< Re-employment Privilege of Faithful Workers >
This is a privilege given to a faithful worker who meets certain conditions and criteria and
whose period of employment has expired so he/she wants to request a re-employment
visa before his/her departure. The privilege gives him/her a visa within 3 months after
his/her departure.
A. SUBMISSION
The authority accepts the application and starts to review process after his/her departure is
confirmed.
An employer who wants to hire the foreigner may have an agency apply for the visa issuance
confirmation on behalf of him/her.
B. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS
�� You have entered the Republic of Korea on the non-professional employment visa and worked
at the same company until the employment period has expired (4 years 10 months or 6 years)
- If the employee has changed the workplace due to unforeseen circumstances such as a closure
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ELIGIBILITY FOR
THE VISA
ISSUANCE
CONFIRMATIONS
 CONTENTS
of the business, then his/her period of employment contract with the latest employer should
last at least one year.
�� You are a worker of agriculture, fishery or manufacturing company with 30 or less employees
in total (if it is grassroots industry, up to 50 employees are allowed)
�� You have signed a labor contract which is effective for at least one year from the date you start
the work on your second visit.
�� The employer shall meet the issuance conditions such as the number foreigners allowed to work
(However, it does not require the employer to make efforts to find domestic job seekers)
�� The respective foreign worker's employment expiry date should be after the effective date of
the amended law (July 2nd, 2012)
C. Permitted industries and a number of employees
Permitted Industry: Agriculture, Fishery, Manufacturing that has 30 employees and less * (except
construction��service)
- Under the Promotion and Advancement of Grassroots Industry* Act, the manufacturing enterprise
which employees less than 50 people is allowed.
* Grassroots Industry: industries that use process technology such as casting, metallic mold, plastic
working, welding, surface treatment, heat treatment and etc (providing the information menu of
the business of the EPS)
�� thirty or fifty people: an average number for domestic uninsured employees 3 months before
the re-entry employment permission date (except foreigners and foreigners married to Korean
nationals who have not acquired Korean nationality yet)
The number of employees that are allowed: in accordance with the standard of each industry
and business
- There is no limit on the number of employees newly hired for each business site, however, you
cannot exceed the total number of employees allowed.
D. Privilege Details
Employer
- It does not require for an employer to make efforts to hire a Korean national, when an
employment permission is issued.
- You can re-hire a foreign worker after he/she leaves the country for a short time, if he/she has
enhanced his/her skills while working at the same workplace for a long time.
Foreign Workers
- A foreign worker can take a Korean language aptitude test and will be exempt from the
employment training after the re-entry.
* You are exempt from the Korean language test and there is no limit on the age for the entry
- Unlike other foreign workers (whose re-entry period is limited to 6 months) you have to work
at the former workplace as you have re-entered the country within the 3 months of departure
E. Visa issuance confirmations and visa issuance
Issuance of visa issuance confirmation
- Given that faithful workers have to return the alien registration card when he/she leaves the
country, the authority will issue the visa issuance confirmation only after the foreigner departure
is verified.
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Maritime Crew (E-10)
* jae wook LEE�Կ� ���ؼ� �Խù� ����Ǿ����ϴ� (2016-06-07 12:52)

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