I am currently processing a request for an E7 visa issuance for a Vietnamese inbound travel agency. Of course, being a travel agency does not mean that hiring is only possible as a travel product developer. Considering the company's size, the applicant's history, and the department and tasks the applicant will be working on, it may be possible to apply for different occupations. However, this is an exceptional case, and if a foreign employee is to be hired with an E7 visa in a general small and medium-sized travel agency, it is possible to consider three general occupations (travel product developer, event planner, and tour interpreter) among the 87 occupations
※ All three occupations require the submission of a Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism employment recommendation letter as a mandatory document. Among them, the most commonly chosen occupation is the travel product developer. The reasons are 1. In the case of event planners, the employment entity must have a basic annual sales of over 1 billion won, and there must be plans for domestic and international performances, meetings, and international events within a year after hiring.
※ If the company meets the basic requirements for hiring a foreigner with an E7 visa and corresponds to annual sales of over 50 billion won, it is recommended to apply for an E7 visa as an event planner. Submission of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism employment recommendation letter may be exempted. 2. Tour interpreters, even if eligible for application, are one of the occupations that are difficult to get approved due to the employment contract (labor contract). Foreigners hired with an E7 visa must work for one company, must be full-time, and must have a measured monthly salary. However, guides work freelance, receiving jobs here and there. After completing an event, they receive a daily wage and settle with the company. There are hardly any cases where inbound guides sign a labor contract with a company and receive a monthly salary. Immigration already knows about the ecosystem of the travel industry. Therefore, there are many cases where the submitted employment contracts are not recognized and not approved.
E7 Visa Tour Interpreter Applicant Requirements -Master's degree or higher, bachelor's degree in 'Korean Studies' from a foreign university with at least 1 year of experience,
-graduates (including expected graduates) from domestic university tourism and history majors,
-graduates from colleges or higher with a domestic tour interpreter guide license
※ As travel agency representatives may know, even if a foreign employee receives an E7 visa as a tour interpreter, to legally use the foreigner as a guide, the foreigner must have a tour interpreter guide license. There are tourism police to crack down on unlicensed guides, and using unlicensed guides is subject to administrative measures under the Tourism Promotion Act. The user (travel agency) is also subject to administrative measures. The law states so. However, realistically, it is impossible to use only guides with licenses, excluding unlicensed guides, especially for special languages. Note that the guidelines announced by the Immigration and Foreigner Policy Headquarters are just guidelines for visa issuance and do not have external binding force. Most travel agencies choose travel product developers for the above reasons. And the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism employment recommendation letter is a mandatory document to submit. Let's take a closer look at the E7 visa travel product developer.
E7 Visa Travel Product Developer
(Job Description) Plans and develops travel products that meet the demands of clients during domestic and international travel times. Organizes group tours, acquires information about various available means of transportation, costs, and convenience, and provides advice on travel plans.
(Possible Job Examples) Tourism Travel Planner, Travel Product Developer
- Restriction: Tourist Interpreter Guide (43213)
(Employment Recommendation Letter Issuance) Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Tourism Industry Division) ※Mandatory
(Attachment Documents) Copy of Tourism Business Registration Certificate (General Travel Business), additional documents proving foreign tourist attraction performance
(Qualification Requirements) General requirements apply. However, those fulfilling the requirements through experience without a degree are restricted (Issuance is limited for those with over 5 years of experience in the related field)
(National Employment Protection Examination Criteria) General criteria apply + Separate criteria for company qualification and permitted employment number (within a maximum range of 3 people)
(Company Qualification Requirements) Travel agencies that have registered their tourism business with the local government authority according to Article 4 of the Tourism Promotion Act and have an average annual foreign tourist attraction performance of over 2,000 people in the last two years (submitting a certificate of foreign tourist attraction performance issued by the Korea Travel Agency Association) or have equivalent performance.
*Includes charter flight attraction performance, awards from local governments related to foreign tourist attraction, travel agencies holding excellent travel products (designated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) or excellent travel agencies (designated by the Korea Travel Agency Association, etc.)
**Only applicable to general travel agencies that cater to both domestic and international travelers, including Koreans and foreigners. Agencies that only cater to domestic travelers for domestic and international trips are excluded.
(Permitted Employment Number) Up to 2 people per company, however, if the average annual foreign tourist attraction performance in the last two years is over 5,000, or if employing a graduate from a Korean studies program at a university in their country or a foreign graduate from a domestic university, an additional person per reason can be employed (up to a maximum of 3 people).
(Other Matters) General criteria fully apply in cases where there are no specific contents on company size, employment ratio, minimum wage, etc., for national employment protection.
(Visa Issuance and Residence Management, etc.) General criteria apply
The content above is according to the guidelines, and I will reorganize the important parts once more. 1. First, if you want to hire a foreign employee as an E7 travel product developer, the hiring company must be an inbound travel agency registered as a comprehensive travel business. Outbound-only travel agencies cannot hire foreign employees as travel product developers. 2. Newly established companies within the last year are restricted from issuing the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism employment recommendation letters. And without the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism employment recommendation letter, it is impossible to apply for an E7 visa as a travel product developer. 3. Also, a part not mentioned in the guidelines is that the achievement of attracting foreign tourists over 2 years must be over 2,000, considering the COVID-19 situation, it is possible to recognize the performance of '18-19 years as an alternative until August '23. 4. As examined, the travel product developer is a profession that applies the national employment protection examination criteria. The commonly known "1 E7 foreigner per 5 nationals" applies to this occupation. Here, many people misunderstand, so let's clarify. Of course, if the minimum national employment number is not even 5, hiring a foreign employee as a travel product developer is impossible. However, it's not necessarily 1 per 5. According to this simple calculation, if it's 1 per 5, then it should be 2 for 10 people. And most people understand it that way. However, if you read the guidelines properly, you will know. The number of permitted foreign employment is determined within 20% of the national employment number, and decimals are calculated. Therefore, it is not necessary for the national employment number to be 10 in order to hire two foreign employees with an E7 visa. It is possible to hire two foreign employees with an E7 visa even if the national employment number is 8 or 9. ※ Of course, this applies only when there are no other foreign specialists (holders of E7, F2 visas) in the company. If there are E7, F2 visa holders in the company, they are also counted as already employed foreign specialists.
※ The national employment number is counted based on those registered in employment insurance and have passed 3 months, and are employed at wages above the legal minimum wage. 5. As stated above, the number of employment permits for travel product developers is a maximum of 2 per company. However, if the applicant has graduated from a domestic university or a foreign university with a major related to Korean studies, it is possible to hire one more person, and it is the same if the achievement of attracting foreign tourists over 2 years exceeds 5,000. Even in such cases, the maximum is three, and hiring more is restricted. 6. According to the guidelines changed this year, for the monthly salary of an E7 foreign employee, it is not mandatory to meet over 80% of the GNI, if the company has one of the following documents: ① Small and Medium Business (SME) Confirmation, ② Venture Company Confirmation, ③ Medium-Sized Business Confirmation (limited to those located outside the capital region), then it is possible to apply with over 70% of the GNI.
※ GNI 80% is 2.84 million won, GNI 70% is 2.48 million won
The requirements for issuing a Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism employment recommendation letter are almost identical to those for applying for an E7 visa as a travel product developer. The following are the required documents for applying for a Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism employment recommendation letter.
Required Documents for Applying for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Employment Recommendation Letter (E7 Travel Product Developer)
1. Application for Employment Recommendation Letter |
2. Corporation (Representative) or Personal Seal Certificate of the travel agency representative |
3. Copy of the applicant's passport |
4. Work Experience Certificate (original certification of overseas work experience and Korean translation) |
5. Confirmation of Identity (notarized) |
6. Manpower Utilization Plan |
7. Copy of the Employment Contract |
8. Copy of the Business Registration Certificate |
9. Copy of the Tourism Business Registration Certificate (comprehensive travel business registration certificate, only applicable to inbound travel agencies) |
10. Copy of the Degree Certificate (original certification of foreign degree and Korean translation) |
11. Applicant's resume |
12. Certificate of Tax Payment Fact (certificate of national tax payment) |
13. Local Tax Payment Certificate |
14. List of Enrollees in the Four Major Social Insurances for the Workplace |
15. Certificate of Foreign Tourist Attraction Performance and other corresponding achievements (charter flight attraction performance, awards from local governments related to foreign tourist attraction, etc.) |
※ The average annual foreign tourist attraction performance over two years must be over 2,000 people (considering COVID-19, the performance of '18-19 years can be recognized as an alternative until August '23).
※ New companies within the last year and companies that have received administrative penalties for violating the Tourism Promotion Act within the last two years are excluded from recommendation.