Country guide · South Korea

Getting a job in South Korea, 2026

On Korea's points based residence visa, your salary is worth 60 of the 80 points you need to pass, while a doctorate is worth 25 and fluent Korean 20. Here is that points table in full, the E-7 route that gets you there, and the one clause in a 2011 treaty that decides whether you ever see your pension contributions again.

Country guidePublished 20 September 2026·Every figure checked 20 September 2026·19 min read
10,320 won
Minimum wage an hour from 1 January 2026, up 290 won on 2025
Minimum Wage Commission
80 of 170
Pass mark on the F-2-7 points residence table, where income alone is worth 60
MOJ Notice 2025-408, 24 Oct 2025
33,000
Ceiling on E-7-4 skilled worker visas for the 2026 calendar year
Ministry of Justice, 10 Feb 2026
9.5%
National pension contribution rate in 2026, rising to 13 per cent by 2033
Health and Welfare, 24 Jun 2026
Section 01

The routes in, and the points table that decides most of them

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On the residence visa that most foreign professionals in Korea are actually aiming at, what you earn counts for more than everything you are. Income is worth up to 60 points. Your degree is worth 25 and your Korean is worth 20.

The visa is Residence (F-2-7), the points based residence status. It is not a work permit tied to one employer. It lets you change jobs, start a business, and it is the shortest honest path to permanent residence. The criteria were rewritten by the Ministry of Justice on 24 October 2025 and the current table is reproduced in full further down this page, because almost nobody publishes it properly in English. MOJ Notice 2025-408, 24 Oct 2025

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Section 02

Residence, language, the money in and the money out

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Section 03

Licences, hours, severance and the Korean CV

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