Visa Comparison — South Korea

H-1 vs H-2 Visa — Working Holiday vs Working Visit: Which One Can You Get?

Both H-1 and H-2 let you live and work in Korea without a professional job offer — but they are completely different programs for completely different people. H-1 is for young adults from treaty countries who want to experience Korea while funding their trip. H-2 is exclusively for ethnic Koreans from China and the CIS region who want to return to work in Korea long-term.

Written by James Chae — Co-Founder, Expert Sapiens

Korean Licensed Administrative Attorney (행정사)Reg. No. 220-06-06463 · 대한행정사회Licensed Realtor · Korea

Platform expertise: Immigration consulting & visa services · Reviewed April 2026

Reviewed by licensed immigration attorneys on Expert Sapiens

Licensed Immigration AttorneysAILA Members

H-1

Working Holiday Visa

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H-2

Working Visit Visa

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H-1 vs H-2 — side-by-side comparison

	H-1	H-2
Who can apply	Citizens of countries with a Working Holiday treaty with Korea (e.g. USA, Australia, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Japan, and others — 25+ countries)	Ethnic Koreans (조선족/고려인) from China and 14 CIS/other countries ONLY — not open to other nationalities
Age requirement	18–30 (18–35 for some countries like Canada, Australia, Germany)	✓ 18 and above — no upper age limit
Primary purpose	Experience Korean culture and travel, funded by temporary work — work is a means, not the goal	Work in Korea in permitted manual/service sectors
Authorised stay	Up to 1 year (extendable to 2 years for some nationalities — AU, CA, DE, DK, FR, IE, JP, NZ, UK)	✓ Up to 3 years per grant; total H-2 accumulated stay up to 5 years
Work rights	✓ Any legal employment — but work should not dominate the visit (no employer restriction in practice)	Permitted manual and service sector occupations (manufacturing, construction, agriculture, fishery, food service, cleaning, caregiving). White-collar professional work is not permitted.
Language requirement	✓ None for the visa itself	Must pass the overseas Korean Korean Proficiency Test (한국어시험) or the domestic EPS-TOPIK system to enter the H-2 pool
Employer restriction	None — can change jobs freely, no notification required	Can change employers within permitted occupations without prior approval — notification to immigration within 15 days
Repetition	Typically once per lifetime per treaty (some countries allow repeated use — check your specific treaty)	✓ Can be renewed multiple times up to the 5-year total accumulation limit
Path to long-term residency	H-1 experience and Korean acquired can support E-7 application. F-2-7 possible if K-Points qualify.	H-2 experience counts toward E-7-4 upgrade (4+ years) or F-2-99 long-term residency. F-4 (Overseas Korean) is a parallel option for eligible ethnic Koreans.

Who can apply

H-1

Citizens of countries with a Working Holiday treaty with Korea (e.g. USA, Australia, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Japan, and others — 25+ countries)

H-2

Ethnic Koreans (조선족/고려인) from China and 14 CIS/other countries ONLY — not open to other nationalities

Age requirement

H-1

18–30 (18–35 for some countries like Canada, Australia, Germany)

H-2

18 and above — no upper age limit

Primary purpose

H-1

Experience Korean culture and travel, funded by temporary work — work is a means, not the goal

H-2

Work in Korea in permitted manual/service sectors

Authorised stay

H-1

Up to 1 year (extendable to 2 years for some nationalities — AU, CA, DE, DK, FR, IE, JP, NZ, UK)

H-2

Up to 3 years per grant; total H-2 accumulated stay up to 5 years

Work rights

H-1

Any legal employment — but work should not dominate the visit (no employer restriction in practice)

H-2

Permitted manual and service sector occupations (manufacturing, construction, agriculture, fishery, food service, cleaning, caregiving). White-collar professional work is not permitted.

Language requirement

H-1

None for the visa itself

H-2

Must pass the overseas Korean Korean Proficiency Test (한국어시험) or the domestic EPS-TOPIK system to enter the H-2 pool

Employer restriction

H-1

None — can change jobs freely, no notification required

H-2

Can change employers within permitted occupations without prior approval — notification to immigration within 15 days

Repetition

H-1

Typically once per lifetime per treaty (some countries allow repeated use — check your specific treaty)

H-2

Can be renewed multiple times up to the 5-year total accumulation limit

Path to long-term residency

H-1

H-1 experience and Korean acquired can support E-7 application. F-2-7 possible if K-Points qualify.

H-2

H-2 experience counts toward E-7-4 upgrade (4+ years) or F-2-99 long-term residency. F-4 (Overseas Korean) is a parallel option for eligible ethnic Koreans.

Which should you choose?

H-1is right for you if…

You are 18–30 (or 18–35 for select countries) and your nationality has a working holiday treaty with Korea
You want maximum job flexibility — able to work in any sector without restrictions
You want to experience Korea for up to 2 years with no professional job offer required
You are not of Korean ethnic heritage

H-2is right for you if…

You are an ethnic Korean (조선족 or 고려인) from China or one of the 14 eligible CIS/other countries
You want a longer authorized stay (up to 5 years total)
You want to build experience toward E-7-4 skilled worker status or F-4 overseas Korean status
You are 30+ and no longer eligible for H-1

Typical path:

H-1 holders who develop Korean language skills and work experience often convert to E-7 (skilled worker) at the end of their working holiday. H-2 holders who accumulate 4+ years of Korean work experience and meet the E-7-4 points requirement can upgrade to skilled worker status — the most common long-term path for ethnic Korean manual workers.

Frequently asked questions

Can Americans get a Working Holiday visa for Korea?

Yes. The US-Korea Working Holiday treaty allows Americans aged 18–30 to apply for an H-1 visa. The US has one of the larger annual quotas among H-1 partner countries. Apply at the Korean consulate — the visa is typically issued within 1–2 weeks.

Can I get H-2 if I am of Korean descent but a US citizen?

Not H-2. H-2 is specifically for ethnic Koreans from China and 14 designated countries (former Soviet republics and a few others). US citizens of Korean descent typically qualify for F-4 (Overseas Korean) instead, which offers broader rights than H-2.

Can H-1 be extended beyond 1 year?

For most countries, H-1 is a once-per-lifetime single-year visa. However, nationals of Australia, Canada, Germany, Denmark, France, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, and the UK can extend to a second year. Check your specific bilateral treaty terms.

What happens when H-2 expires?

When your cumulative H-2 stay reaches 5 years, you must leave Korea and wait 1 year before re-entering on H-2. Alternatively, if you have accumulated 4+ years of E-9/H-2 work experience, you may be eligible to apply for E-7-4 (skilled worker) status before leaving.