The E-7 visa consists of a total of 87 occupations and is broadly categorized as follows
- E-7-1 (Specialized Professionals) 67 occupations ※ Including 15 managerial positions
- E-7-2 (Semi-specialized Professionals) 9 occupations
- E-7-3 (General Skilled Workers) 8 occupations
- E-7-4 (Skilled Workers) 3 occupations
Today, I will post based on practical experience regarding the Employment Recommendation Letter related to the E7 visa.
1. First, occupations listed as requiring an Employment Recommendation Letter in the guidelines must obtain an Employment Recommendation Letter from the relevant ministry to apply for the E7 visa.
2. Even for occupations not listed as requiring an Employment Recommendation Letter, there are occupations for which the immigration office will still demand an Employment Recommendation Letter from the relevant ministry.
3. There are also occupations that, while not mandatory, may be requested for an Employment Recommendation Letter during the review process if something seems suspicious or if a more stringent review is deemed necessary.
※ An Employment Recommendation Letter obtained from a relevant ministry and an Employment reason statement prepared by the employing company are entirely different concepts. For occupations requiring an Employment Recommendation Letter for the E7 visa application, not only must an Employment reason statement (Manpower Utilization Plan) be submitted, but also an Employment Recommendation Letter from the relevant ministry must be attached. In other words, the Employment reason statement is a mandatory submission document for the E7 visa application, regardless of the occupation, and the addition of an Employment Recommendation Letter depends on the occupation.
Let's first look at the occupations listed as requiring an Employment Recommendation Letter.
Occupations listed as requiring an Employment Recommendation Letter |
1. Product production-related managers (Domestic return companies) - Ministry of Industry KOTRA |
2. Plant engineering technicians (Shipbuilding specialized equipment and manufacturing technicians) - Ministry of Industry Shipbuilding and Marine Plant Division |
3. Teachers at foreign schools/foreign educational institutions/international schools/gifted schools, etc - Teachers at Jeju International Schools - Governor of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province - Teachers at International Middle Schools, Foreign Language High Schools, International High Schools, and Autonomous Private High Schools - Superintendent of Education of the jurisdictional city/province |
4. Financial and insurance experts (Applicants with over 5 years of experience without a degree) - Financial Services Commission |
5. Travel product developers - Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tourism Industry Division |
6. Event planners (Performance planners) - Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Performing and Traditional Arts Division ※ Companies with an annual sales of 5 billion won or more can omit this requirement at the discretion of the director |
7. Overseas sales representatives (Applicants subject to special standards for employment or per company) - Ministry of Industry KOTRA / Korea Trade Association * (Foreign investment companies with annual sales of $100,000 or more + employing at least 1 Korean national) and (export companies targeting special language regions with annual sales of $100,000 or more) are allowed to employ 1 foreigner * Export companies targeting special language regions with annual sales of $500,000 or more: allowed to employ foreigners within 70% of the Korean employment quota ※ The overseas sales representative is a well-known occupation with a standard of 1 E7 foreign national per 5 Korean nationals and is one of the most applied occupations by foreign students changing their domestic qualifications. And many are mistaken thinking that if there are not 5 Korean nationals, the application is not possible ※ However, as stated in the guidelines, if one of the special standards is met, even if there are not 5 Korean nationals, the application is possible. Previously, we obtained permission for an applicant speaking Arabic, targeting a company with only 2 Korean nationals, as an overseas sales representative. And for a foreign investment corporation with less than 5 Korean nationals, we also obtained permission as an overseas sales representative. Of course, both companies met the condition of having annual sales of more than $100,000 ※ In the case of KOTRA, an Employment Recommendation Letter can be issued only if it falls within the 8 advanced technology fields. (Transportation and machinery, new materials, environmental energy, digital electronics, biotechnology, technology management, IT, nanotechnology) And for the trade association, the company must have had export performance of more than $100,000 the previous year and possess a unique trade business number, and the applicant must have graduated from a trade-related department (bachelor's degree or higher) or have at least 1 year of trade-related experience for the Employment Recommendation Letter to be issued |
8. Technology management experts - Ministry of Industry KOTRA |
9. Announcers - Korea Communications Commission |
10. Hotel reception officers - Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tourism Industry Division |
11. Medical coordinators - Ministry of Health and Welfare Overseas Healthcare Division |
12. Tourist interpretation guides - Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tourism Industry Division |
13. Aquaculture technicians - Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Aquaculture Industry Division |
14. Halal butchers - Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Livestock Policy Division |
15. Shipbuilding welders - Ministry of Industry Shipbuilding and Marine Plant Division |
16. Ship electricians - Ministry of Industry Shipbuilding and Marine Plant Division |
17. Aircraft maintenance technicians - Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Aviation Technology Division |
18. Managers related to accommodation/travel/entertainment and sports - Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tourism Industry Division ※ Travel agency managers and tourism leisure business managers |
Next, we will look at occupations that are not listed as requiring an Employment Recommendation Letter but for which the immigration office will demand an Employment Recommendation Letter during the E7 visa application.
1.Product planning experts - Ministry of Health and Welfare Overseas Healthcare Division
Institutions registered as foreign patient attraction institutions and businesses registered as attractors employing E7 visa applicants are always requested by the immigration office to provide an Employment Recommendation Letter from the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
Foreign patient attraction institutions/attraction businesses can only hire foreigners for two specific occupations (Product Planning Experts, Medical Coordinators) for interpretation and marketing purposes.
Applying for other occupations (translation, advertising, and promotion, etc.) will not be accepted. It will be rejected, denied, or, if lucky, the immigration office may ask to reapply as a Product Planning Expert or Medical Coordinator and bring an Employment Recommendation Letter from the Ministry of Health and Welfare. This is due to the special nature of the medical tourism industry, which encompasses both the travel and health sectors, meaning that workers in the medical tourism field are limited to being reviewed as Product Planning Experts or Medical Coordinators.
Moreover, not all hospitals can receive an Employment Recommendation Letter from the Ministry of Health and Welfare; only hospitals registered as foreign patient attraction medical institutions are eligible. And to register as a foreign patient attraction medical institution, having at least one specialist is mandatory.
2. Managers related to agriculture/forestry/fisheries
- Agricultural enterprise managers: Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Management Personnel Division
- Fishery enterprise managers: Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Aquaculture Industry Division
The reason is that despite being included in the E-7-1 manager occupations, in reality, it is often used for purposes other than management, such as employment of foreign workers for simple tasks at fish farms or pig farms. This is thought to be due to various problems such as career forgery and intermediary company involvement.
※ For example, employing foreign laborers to work at simple fish farms or pig farms.
※ The defection rate of foreign laborers entering the agriculture/fisheries/livestock sector is also significant.
And similar occupations exist in E-7-3, such as animal breeders/aquaculture technicians.
Therefore, to apply for the above occupations for the E7 visa, beyond the basic requirements, if the applicant has a master's degree or higher in a related field or a bachelor's degree with related experience, the required experience is not just 1 year but must be over 3 years.
Lastly, we will look at occupations that are not mandatory for an Employment Recommendation Letter but for which the Employment Recommendation Letter is often requested during the review process.
1.15 Managerial Occupations
Managerial occupations refer to those who direct and coordinate the work of a company/institution/department. (Usually, director level or higher)
The salary also applies to the review criteria, and although there is no exact salary standard, there is a criterion that "to prevent the use of low-wage foreign labor, the salary is differentially applied according to the level of professional personnel by linking it to the average wage of a domestic individual performing the same job with similar experience." Therefore, the salary must be determined according to the position performing that work.
Of course, the salary standard can vary depending on the situation each company faces, but typically, the salary should be higher than 80% of the GNI for E-7-1 professional occupations.
※ Based on experience, it is recommended to select a managerial position when the salary is at least 1 times the GNI (at least 42.47 million won or more).
Simply selecting a managerial position because it is difficult to find a domestic individual for that condition, or because employing a foreigner is more efficient, or if the position is employed as a manager but the monthly salary is unreasonably low or the salary of the department's employees is higher, or if the experience seems forged, are situations that are obviously seen from the reviewer's perspective. If such suspicious situations occur, it may be denied, and the immigration office may request an Employment Recommendation Letter from the relevant ministry during the review process, and may also request evidence of domestic recruitment efforts for that occupation. Field investigations may also be commissioned.
※ Even if a non-managerial position is selected, if deemed necessary during the review process, field investigations can be conducted at any time (especially E7 chefs, mechanical engineering technicians, draftsmen, etc.).
※ If a field investigation is initiated, the review process can be indefinitely prolonged.
Field investigations are conducted in the order they are received, so if a field investigation is requested in an area with a high concentration of E7 mechanical engineering technician applications, it is advised to patiently wait for at least 2 months.
For instance, if applying for the E7 mechanical engineering technician position and the applicant is a citizen of a visa-issuing country like Vietnam, it is mostly subject to a field investigation.
2. 28 available Occupations for KOTRA Employment Recommendation Letter
Although KOTRA's Employment Recommendation Letter is not as frequently requested as managerial positions, it is occasionally requested in situations that arise suspicion and require a stricter review.
And even if not requested, if it falls within the 8 advanced technology fields (transportation and machinery, new materials, environmental energy, digital electronics, biotechnology, technology management, IT, nanotechnology) and is eligible for a KOTRA Employment Recommendation Letter, it is recommended to obtain the recommendation letter and apply for the E7 visa.
When applying for a confirmation of visa issuance application, a multiple visa can be issued, and if employed as a regular employee with no specified employment contract period and meeting the requirements, a stay period of up to 5 years can be granted. Moreover, if continued employment in the related field and residence in Korea for over 3 years are met, and the income requirement of at least 1 times the GNI is satisfied, an F5 permanent residency application is also possible (for those who obtained a bachelor's degree or certification abroad).
Below are the qualification requirements and target occupations for the KOTRA Employment Recommendation Letter.
KOTRA Employment Recommendation Letter Qualification Requirements (Same as the basic requirements for E7 visa application)
▶ Advanced Technology Talent
- Holders of a master's degree or higher in the relevant field (no experience required)
- Holders of an overseas bachelor's degree in the relevant field + at least 1 year of experience in the relevant field
- At least 5 years of experience in the relevant field
- Holders of a domestic bachelor's degree or higher (no experience required)
▶ Income Requirement
- (Base salary) Income at least 80% of the previous year's GNI per capita
※ However, a relaxed wage requirement of at least 70% is applied to foreigners employed by small, venture, and non-capital region medium-sized companies with no domestic company work experience or less than 3 years of experience (companies must attach documents proving they are small, venture, or non-capital region medium-sized companies)
▶ Application Technology Field: 8 Advanced Technology Fields
- Transportation and machinery, new materials, environmental energy, digital electronics, biotechnology, technology management, IT, nanotechnology
28 Eligible Occupations for KOTRA Employment Recommendation Letter
1.Managers (3 occupations) |
- Product production-related managers (Domestic return company's production managers) ※ Employment Recommendation Letter mandatory - IT sales and sales-related managers - Information and communication-related managers |
2.Experts and related workers (25 occupations) |
- Investigation experts - Product planning experts (Overseas product planners, overseas marketing experts) - Technology management experts (R&D strategy, technical infrastructure, technology commercialization, product and production technology experts) ※ Employment Recommendation Letter mandatory - Management and diagnostic experts (Management consultants and accountants) - Technical sales representatives - Plant engineering technicians - Automobile, shipbuilding, aircraft, railway vehicle engineering experts - Environmental engineering technicians - System software developers - Application software developers - Web developers - Data experts - Network system developers - Telecommunication engineering technicians - Computer system designers and analysts - Computer hardware technicians - Information security experts - Electronic engineering technicians - Electrical engineering technicians - Textile engineering technicians - Metal and materials engineering technicians - Gas and energy technicians - Overseas sales person (Applicants subject to special employment or per company standards required) ※ Trade companies are issued by the Korea International Trade Association - Life science experts: limited to biology (botany, ecology, bacteriology, genetics) - Chemical engineering technicians |
※ Employment Recommendation Letters are not issued for general tasks such as manufacturing, production, and repair of products incorporating advanced technology (must be involved in research, development, etc., of technology).
