A clothing brand company inquired about inviting a foreign employee from one of its branches. Originally a foreign-invested company (foreign-invested corporation), the company had since been fully acquired by its foreign headquarters, becoming a fully Korean company.
The company, listed on the KOSPI, could have invited the foreign employee under the D-7-2 (Dispatch) visa. However, due to internal reasons, it was expected to take some time to prepare the necessary documents to prove the relationship with the overseas branch and the investment-related paperwork required for the D7 visa.
The company needed the foreign employee to arrive as soon as possible due to rebranding plans, so they decided to invite the employee under the E7 visa instead (Applying for Confirmation of Visa Issuance), as it was expected to be a faster process. Suddenly, the company informed me that the foreign employee had already entered Korea on a K-ETA (B-2) visa
The company thought that changing the visa status domestically would be quicker and had arranged for the employee to enter Korea early. Fortunately, since the applicant was from a general country (Hong Kong), changing from a short-term visa (B-2) to an E7 visa was possible.
※ For the 21 countries with high illegal stay rates (as announced by the Ministry of Justice), changing from a short-term visa (B-1, B-2, C-3, etc.) to an E7 visa is not allowed. However, for general countries, it is possible.
※ Even for general countries, changing from specific visa types such as C-3-2 (Group Tourism) and C-3-3 (Medical Tourism) to an E7 visa is not allowed. And even if possible, it is limited to the 67 designated occupations for E-7-1 specialized workers.
For foreign students graduating from domestic universities (D2, D10) who change to an E7 visa, there are typically no additional documents to prepare from overseas. Their degree certificates can be submitted as they were issued, and if employment certificates are required, they can be easily obtained from their previous employers in Korea.
However, when inviting foreign employees from overseas, most of the invitees are graduates of foreign universities, and their work experience is often from foreign companies, so it takes time to prepare degree certificates and employment certificates。 This is because degree certificates and employment certificates issued overseas must be translated (into Korean or English) and officially verified (Apostille or consular confirmation) for submission with the E7 visa application.
For the E7 visa, preparing the domestically issued documents needed by the hiring company usually doesn’t take much time unless there are special issues (such as national tax delinquency). The company can prepare them in one or two days if they are determined.
However, the preparation time for overseas-issued documents that require official verification can vary greatly depending on the country and the efforts of the invitee.
In this case, the applicant entered Korea with nothing under K-ETA. As a result, the process of requesting Apostille for the required documents had to be initiated from Korea. Had the applicant entered Korea with Apostille-certified degree certificates and employment certificates, the application could have been processed faster.
※ For degree certificates, Apostille services can generally be arranged in Korea, even if the applicant's nationality and the country of the issuing school differ. However, for employment certificates, if the applicant's nationality and the country where the certificate is issued differ, Apostille services in Korea may not be available.
Now, let's look at the eligibility and requirements for the E7 visa for designers.
E7 Visa (E-7-1) Designers
○ (Job Description) This category includes using artistic techniques in the design of products such as household goods, furniture, toys, and fashion items such as clothing, shoes, interior design, and automobile design
○ (Example Jobs Eligible for This Category) Product designer (e.g., automobile and furniture designers), fashion designer (e.g., fabric, clothing, accessory, bag, and shoe designers), interior decorators (e.g., interior designers, displayers), visual designers (e.g., advertising, packaging, book designers, illustrators)
○ (Employment Recommendation Letter Issuance) Issued by the Minister of SMEs and Startups (through the Korea Small and Medium Business Agency) : for small and medium-sized enterprises only
○ (Eligibility, Visa Issuance, and Stay Management) General standards apply
○ (Maximum Number of Foreign Employees per Company) Based on the number of insured domestic employees, companies may hire up to three foreign employees
- 5 ~ 50 employees : 1 employee / 50~ 99employees : 2 employees / 100 or more employees: 3 employees
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