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From part-time work during your studies to switching to an employment visa after graduation — the rules you have to follow, and the ones that get students deported.
WHILE YOU STUDY
Part-time work rules
The basic principle
On a D-2 visa you are not allowed to work at all by default. You need confirmation from your university and permission from immigration before you start — not after.
Allowed hours
D-2 weekday limits depend on your Korean level: 10 hours a week without the required level (15 for master's/PhD); 25 hours with it (30 for master's/PhD); 30 (35) at certified universities or with top grades. The required level is TOPIK 3 for 1st/2nd-year undergraduates and TOPIK 4 for 3rd/4th years and graduate students; English-track students can use TOEFL iBT 71, IELTS 5.5, CEFR B2 or TEPS 601. Weekends, holidays and vacations are unlimited only if you meet the requirement; otherwise the weekly cap still applies. D-4: up to 20 hours after 6 months.
10–35 hrs / weekUnlimited vacations need TOPIK
The procedure
Sign your employment contract, get confirmation from your university, then apply to immigration for permission.
Contract→University→Immigration
Main fields students must avoid
Working in any of them can cost you your visa, even if your university has confirmed your job. This is the main list, not every case: always check with your university and immigration before the first day.
01
Entertainment & gambling
Bars, clubs, adult entertainment, betting, and anything against public morals or social order
02
Delivery & designated driving
Delivery riders, couriers, designated drivers, insurance sales, home-study tutoring, door-to-door sales and other gig work
03
Teaching & specialist jobs
Conversation teaching for minors and other professional work in the E-1 to E-7 fields needs a separate permit; safety or play-assistant work at English kids' cafés and camps is allowed
04
Construction & factory work
Construction is always banned; factory work only with TOPIK 4 or higher
05
Dispatch & subcontracting agencies
Labour brokers, placement firms and any job arranged through dispatch, subcontracting or brokerage
06
Seafaring
Jobs on ships and other seafarer (E-10) industries
07
Distant or barred workplaces
Work far from your school (the manual gives no distance) and employers barred from hiring foreigners because of past illegal hiring
What happens if you work without permission
- First offence: if it is minor, a penalty notice (통고처분, a fine) and you may keep your stay
- Construction work: a departure order every time, with no exception
- Second offence: deportation
Get your contract, your university's confirmation and immigration's permission before your first day, not after.
AFTER GRADUATION
Two ways to stay and work
D-10
JOB-SEEKING VISA
Lets you stay in Korea to look for work after you graduate. The first grant is 1 year; extensions depend on a points test and can reach 3 years in total for strong candidates.
1 year first, up to 3
E-7
SPECIFIC ACTIVITY VISA
The visa you switch to when you take a full-time job related to your major. Your employer has to sponsor it, and the job must match what you studied.
Employer-sponsoredMajor-related
FREQUENTLY ASKED
What students get wrong
QWhat happens if I'm caught working without permission?
AIt depends on the case. A minor first offence usually means a fine and you may keep your status; construction work leads to a departure order, and a second offence to deportation. Breaking the conditions of a permit you hold means a warning, then losing work permission, then losing your student status. Your employer is penalised too — which is why a legitimate employer asks to see your permit first.
Fine or departureDeportation on repeat
QCan I switch to an E-7 for a job unrelated to my major?
AUsually not. The E-7 requires the job to match your field of study, and immigration checks how closely your degree relates to the job description.
QIs there any advantage to graduating from a Korean university?
AYes. After a Korean degree you can switch from D-2 to a D-10 job-seeking visa without the points test the first time (or get a D-10 visa within a year of graduating if you have left Korea). Graduates with TOPIK 4 keep this advantage for three years after their degree.
Checked against the Ministry of Justice Visa and Stay manuals (September 2026). Rules change — confirm with HiKorea (☎ 1345) before you act.
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