There have been many inquiries about the recent F2R visa regional specialization visa.
If you are considering the F2R visa, you should first review ① whether the applicant meets the requirements set by the Ministry of Justice and ② whether they meet the individual requirements for receiving recommendations from local governments.
※ In order to receive recommendations from local governments, you must generally satisfy the basic requirements set by the Ministry of Justice.
In addition, the requirements for receiving recommendation letters, application periods, industries allowed by local governments, and the remaining quotas for each country may vary. Therefore, you should also check the announcements issued by the respective local governments and may need to directly confirm the details with the relevant personnel.
F2R(F-2-R)visa Regional Specialization Outstanding Talent
1.Eligibility
- Foreigners recommended by the heads of local governments, excluding the following cases
< Exclusions for changing to F-2-R visa >
- Holders of qualifications such as technical training (D-3), general training (D-4), entertainment and hospitality (E-6-2), seasonal work (E-8), non-professional employment (E-9), seamen employment (E-10), others (G-1), and working holiday (H-1)
- Those who held the D-10 qualification for job seeking and whose immediate prior residence status falls under the above restricted category
- Those who are within the restricted period for workplace change or whose previous employment contract period has not yet expired among holders of specific activity (E-7) qualifications
- Those who have received permission for an extended stay for departure or postponement of departure
- Citizens of countries whose documents related to short-term stay permit application, etc., are specified in the regulations
- Those who have stayed under a Regional Specialist or accompanying family residence status within the last 5 years
2.Basic Requirements (Ministry of Justice Requirements)
- Must meet the requirements set by the Ministry of Justice for education/income, residence, Korean language proficiency (basic proficiency), and legal compliance (moral standards), as well as individual requirements set by local governments
1. Education/Income ※ Either of the two requirements is sufficient
① Education
▶ Graduates or those expected to graduate within six months from the date of application with a bachelor's degree or higher from a two-year college or higher
※ Proof of expected graduation within six months from the application date (document signed by the university president or department head) is required. Proof of degree, etc., must be submitted for the initial extension of stay.
② Income
▶ Income Subject: Only income of the applicant (self)
▶ Income Standard: 70% or more of the previous year's per capita Gross National Income (GNI) as of the application date
※ If the per capita GNI for the previous year of application has not been announced, the standard from two years ago will be applied.
▶ Recognized Income: The following incomes as stipulated in Article 4(1) of the Income Tax Act shall be aggregated
-Interest income, dividend income, business income, employment income, pension income, other income
- Each income is recognized only if income tax has been paid.
- If the income is exempt from income tax under Article 12 (non-taxable income) of the Income Tax Act, the relevant supporting documents will be reviewed to determine whether it is recognized.
2. Residence
▶ Principle: Continuous residence within the recommended area
▶ Exception: The residence or employment/entrepreneurship area needs to be set differently if deemed necessary, and the types permitted by the Ministry of Justice are as follows (within three years, residing in an area with a population decline)
< Types of Residency/Employment >
‧ Type A: Reside in the recommended area and able to work in the same metropolitan area
‧ Type B: Reside with family in the recommended area and able to work in the metropolitan area
‧ Type C: Reside in the metropolitan area and work in the recommended area
‧ Type D: Reside in the metropolitan area and start a business in the recommended area
- (Allowed Municipalities for Types A, B, C, D) Jeonbuk, Gyeongbuk, Busan
- (Allowed Municipalities for Types A, B) Daegu, Gyeongnam
▶ (Special Recognition of Actual Residence) Until applying for a recommendation letter from the local government, if unable to meet the requirement of actual residence due to unavoidable circumstances
- (Grace Period) Recognized as actual residence when transferring to the jurisdiction of the local immigration office, etc., and completing the move within 30 days after changing qualifications
- (Documents to be Submitted) Documents confirming the planned actual residence, such as a lease agreement or confirmation of accommodation (if accommodation is provided, confirmation from the prospective provider is required)
※ Same documents should be submitted to both the local government and the local immigration office.
▶ (Period) For the first two years from the date of permission, you must reside in the recommended area, and after two years, you can move to the permitted area (another area within the same metropolitan area with a population decline) as your place of residence.
3. Employment/Entrepreneurship ※ Either of the two requirements is sufficient
▶ (Industry) Employment (confirmed employment) or entrepreneurship in industries designated by the Ministry of Justice at the time of application
▶ (Area) The workplace or business established must be located in the recommended area
- The place of residence and the workplace must be in the same area (basic local government)
▶ (Employment Contract) The annual income per capita on the contract shall be at least 70% of the Gross National Income (GNI) for the previous year
- (Employment Contract) Confirmation of employment for at least one year within three months from the application date
- The employer and the user must be the same, and employment under daily or dispatch format by employment agencies is not allowed
- Change of workplace is restricted within one year after the qualification change (however, change of workplace or industry is allowed in cases where it is difficult to continue working at the same workplace due to reasons such as business closure or when recommended by the local government)
▶ (Entrepreneurship) Investment amount of 200 million KRW or more
▶ (Period) For the first two years from the date of permission, you must work or start a business in the recommended area, and after two years, you can work or start a business in the business area within the same metropolitan area (business area for Regional Specialization Type Visa) as recommended by the local government.
- Must be in a working or entrepreneurial state for at least 3/4 (9 months for one year) of the permission period
▶ (Change between Employment and Entrepreneurship)
- Change between employment and entrepreneurship is allowed in the recommended area, and in this case, only changes to industries designated by the local government are allowed.
- After two years, changes between employment and entrepreneurship are possible in the business area within the same metropolitan area (limited to industries specified in the business area)
4. Compliance with Laws (Moral Standards)
▶ Must not fall under the following disqualification reasons
① Persons who have been sentenced for specific violent crimes stipulated in Article 2 of the Special Act on the Punishment of Specific Violent Crimes or crimes related to extortion, coercion, fraud, voice phishing, narcotics, and sexual violence
② Persons who have received a prison sentence (including suspended sentence) of imprisonment or more and have not passed five years from the date when the execution of the sentence ends or when the execution of the sentence is decided not to be received
③ Persons who have been sentenced to a fine of 3 million KRW or more within three years from the application date
④ Persons whose total amount of fines imposed for violation of the Immigration Control Act within three years from the application date exceeds 5 million KRW
⑤ Persons subject to entry prohibition under Article 11(1) of the Immigration Control Act
▶ (Citizen Compliance Education) Among those planning to change or extend their qualifications for regional specialization outstanding talents, persons confirmed to have violated domestic laws (excluding those falling under disqualification reasons for moral standards)
5. Korean Language Proficiency (Basic Proficiency) ※ Either of the two requirements is sufficient
▶ Completion of Social Integration Program Level 3 or higher or assignment of Level 4 or higher in pre-evaluation
▶ Achieving Level 3 or higher in the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK)
6. Employer Requirements ****
▶ Employers must not fall under the following cases
① Persons who have been sentenced to imprisonment, suspended imprisonment, or fined 5 million KRW or more for violations of the following laws, or those who have not yet reached three years from the date when the execution of the sentence ends, when the execution of the sentence is decided not to be received, or when the fine or penalty is paid, or those who have received a suspended sentence and the judgment is finalized
《 Persons who have been fined or penalized less than 5 million KRW for violations of the following laws and have not yet reached one year from the date when the fine or penalty was paid》
- Article 7-2 (false invitation) of the Immigration Control Act, Article 12-3 (provision of transportation means for illegal entry or concealment of escapees, etc.) ※ Including violators of Article 199 of the Special Act on the Establishment of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and the Creation of an International Free City
- Article 18(3) (employment activities of foreigners who cannot work)
- Article 18(4) (employment arrangement/inducement of foreigners who cannot work)
- Article 18(5) (act of placing foreigners who cannot work under control for the purpose of employment arrangement)
- Article 21(2) (employment of foreigners without workplace change/additional permission)
- Article 26 (prohibition of submitting false documents, etc.)
- Article 33-3(1) (issuance of alien registration card/passport for securing performance of obligations)
② Persons who have been sentenced to imprisonment or suspended imprisonment for violations of the Act on the Punishment of Acts of Arranging Prostitution, etc., the Act on Regulation and Punishment of Acts in Violation of Games and Punishment of Crimes, and the Act on the Management of Narcotics and have not yet passed three years from the date when the execution of the sentence ends or when the execution of the sentence is decided not to be received
③ Persons who have been sentenced to imprisonment or suspended imprisonment for violations of Article 8 of the Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes or the Act on Sexual Violence Prevention and Victim Protection, and have not yet passed five years from the date when the execution of the sentence ends or when the execution of the sentence is decided not to be received
④ Persons who have been sentenced to imprisonment or suspended imprisonment for violations of the Labor Standards Act and have not yet passed three years from the date when the execution of the sentence ends or when the execution of the sentence is decided not to be received
⑤ Persons who have invited 10 or more foreigners under Article 9(2) of the Immigration Control Act (proxy application for issuance of certificate of recognition) within the recent one year from the application date, as per the provisions of the Immigration Control Act, and more than half of the invited foreigners are illegally staying
⑥ Persons who have neglected to make two or more reports under Article 19 (obligation to report employment of foreigners) or Article 19-4 (obligation of reporting by the head of the international student reception facility) of the Immigration Control Act within one month from the date of payment of fines for overdue reports from the application date
3. Individual Requirements of Local Governments
- To receive recommendations from local governments, you must satisfy both the basic and individual requirements
※ This is a basic overview. To check the application period, permitted industries by local governments, remaining quotas by country, etc., you need to refer to the announcements issued by the respective local governments as mentioned earlier and, depending on the situation, may need to confirm directly with the personnel in charge.
4. Documents to be Submitted
① Original and copy of passport, integrated application form, standard-sized photograph (1 copy)
② Alien Registration Card
③ Education proof documents (for those who apply): Certificate of education, degree certificate, certificate of graduation, certificate of expected graduation, etc.
④ Income proof documents (for those who apply): Publicly available documents such as income amount certificate issued by the tax office
⑤ Proof of residence: Lease agreement, real estate registration certificate, etc.
⑥ Proof of economic activity
- (For employees) Employment contract, certificate of employment, business registration certificate, corporate registry extract, etc.
- (For entrepreneurs) Evidence of investment amount, business registration certificate, full copy of corporate registry, etc.
⑦ Criminal record certificate from overseas (issued within 6 months from the application date, requiring official verification and translation)
- If a person has continuously stayed in a foreign country for one year or more within the recent five years from the application date, submit a criminal record certificate from the country of residence
(If there are two or more countries of residence for one year or more within the recent five years, submit all)
⑧ Proof of basic standard requirements
- Confirmation of completion of Social Integration Program level 3 or higher or assignment of level 4 or higher in pre-evaluation
- TOPIK Level 3 or higher score report
⑨ Recommendation letter from the head of the local government (issued within 3 months from the date of issue)
⑩ Recommendation letter from the school principal (for those who apply)
⑪ Receipt
⑫ Tuberculosis diagnosis certificate issued by a public health center or a hospital designated by the Ministry of Justice (for those who apply, valid for 3 months)
⑬ Foreigner's job report
5. Ministry of the Interior and Safety Announcement on 89 Declining Population Areas
Komen