Since 5 March 2026 the Ministry of Justice has run a pilot called the "skilled technical talent training system" (육성형 전문기술인력 제도). It runs until 31 December 2027. Junior colleges train international students who speak good Korean and have technical skills, and the system links them to jobs at regional manufacturers. HiKorea published the visa and stay manual for the system on 29 June 2026.
Important: these benefits apply only if you enter one of the 16 departments below, named by the Ministry of Justice. Other departments at the same college do not count.
Named departments (2026, 16 in total) • Gyeonggi: Gyeonggi University of Science and Technology – Future Electric Vehicles; Daelim University – Future Automotive Engineering; Bucheon University – Textile and Fashion Business; Seojeong University – Global Textile and Fashion Business; Osan University – Electrical Engineering; Yong-In Arts & Science University – Automotive Machinery • Daegu: Yeungjin University – Smart CAD/CAM • Gyeongbuk: Gumi University – Special Construction Machinery Engineering • Busan: Kyungnam College of Information and Technology – Mechanical Engineering; Dong-Eui Institute of Technology – Mechanical Engineering; Busan Institute of Science and Technology – Automotive • Gyeongnam: Geoje University – Mechanical Engineering • Ulsan: Ulsan College – Mechanical Engineering • Jeonbuk: Kunjang University College – Smart Agri-Food; Jeonju Vision University – Future Mobility • Jeonnam: Mokpo Science University – Renewable Energy and Electricity
While you study (D-2-1 student visa) • Korean: you need TOPIK level 3 or higher when you enter. KIIP level 3 completed (or a placement score of 61 or more) and King Sejong Institute Intermediate 1 or higher are also accepted. The same rule applies at certified and ordinary colleges. • No proof of funds: you do not need to show a bank balance or other proof of funds when you get the visa, change your status or extend your stay. The finances of your parents or anyone else are not checked either. • Visa application: if you come from abroad, you can enter only with a Certificate for Confirmation of Visa Issuance obtained through your college. You cannot apply for the visa directly at an embassy. • Numbers: each department can take up to 50 students a year. If students from one country would make up more than 50%, no more can be selected under this system. • Part-time work: if your college and the employer have signed an agreement (MOU), you can work up to 30 hours a week on weekdays. If your average grade last semester was B (3.0) or higher, you can work up to 35 hours a week at a company related to your major. In your first semester, before you have grades, you can also work up to 35 hours. Unlike other students, you may work at manufacturers related to your major. • Internship: in your final semester (the final two semesters on a three-year course), you can do an internship at a company related to your major, outside your classes, with prior permission from immigration. • Grades: if your overall average is C (2.0) or lower, the first time you give a written reason and your stay is extended by 6 months at most. If it is still C or lower next time, extension is restricted in principle. • You can also join by transferring from another college, by moving from another department at the same college, or by entering from language training (D-4).
After graduation (K-CORE, E-7-M) • Who: only graduates (or students about to graduate) of these departments. You cannot change to E-7-M from any other status. • Korean: one of KIIP level 4 completed (or the KIIP mid-term test passed), TOPIK level 5, or King Sejong Institute Advanced 1 or higher. • Job: an employment contract of at least 1 year with a company related to your major, paying at least 26 million won a year. • Length of stay: up to 3 years at a time, in line with your contract, and it can be extended. • Easier for employers: company requirements such as the limit on the share of foreign workers are relaxed compared with the usual E-7, and a small company with fewer than 5 employees can hire one person if it meets certain conditions. • Residence (F-2): the manual says only that the route will lead on to residence (F-2). How many years you must work has not been decided yet. • If you study in one of these departments for at least two semesters during the pilot, you keep the work and residence visa benefits even if the pilot ends or does not become a permanent programme.
Shipbuilding is not included: welding, painting and ship-electrical jobs in shipbuilding are handled separately through regional visas, so they were left out of this pilot.
How this differs from the 7 October plan: the "E-7 route for science and engineering students" announced by the Ministry of Justice on 7 October (for graduates with a bachelor's degree or higher in science or engineering, among other conditions) is a different measure and is not in force yet. The skilled talent training departments are already running.
What to do: if you are interested, check whether the college's admission guide for international students has a "skilled talent training department" track, and ask the college's international office. For detailed rules, check the HiKorea notice (hikorea.go.kr) or call the Immigration Contact Center on 1345.
Source: Ministry of Justice, visa and stay manual for the skilled technical talent training system (June 2026), HiKorea notice of 29 June 2026.