E-1 Professor Visa Korea — University Faculty Eligibility, Salary Requirements & Renewal

E-1 applicants must meet all of the following:

1. Academic qualification:

• PhD (doctoral degree) from a recognized university — the standard requirement for full-time faculty

• OR master's degree plus significant professional experience for fields requiring practical expertise (fine arts, music performance, professional practice fields)

2. Employment at an accredited institution:

• Accredited college or university under the Higher Education Act (고등교육법)

• Includes universities (대학교), colleges, graduate schools, and junior colleges (전문대학)

• Non-accredited private institutes (hagwons, language schools) do NOT qualify — those use E-2

3. Salary threshold:

The institution must pay above the MOJ minimum threshold for E-1 qualification (updated periodically — confirm with the hiring institution's international office).

• Valid passport

• Visa application form + photo

• Employment contract from the Korean university

• University's Higher Education Act accreditation confirmation

• PhD certificate — apostilled or consularly authenticated

• Degree transcript (official)

• CV / academic curriculum vitae

• Criminal background check (apostilled)

Duration: Typically 1 year; renewable annually. For tenured faculty, 2–3 year visas are sometimes issued at renewal.

Family: Spouse and children may accompany on (dependent companion).

A foreign professor teaching Korean history at Yonsei University → . A foreign native English speaker at a hagwon → . A molecular biologist at KAIST → .

• F-2-7 (Points-based): After 1+ years in Korea, holders can apply if they meet the K-Point threshold (typically 80+ points). Doctoral degree and professor-level income are high-scoring factors.

• F-2-99 (5-year continuous residence): After 5 continuous years of qualifying status, provides open work rights.

• F-5 (Permanent residency): Available after F-2-7 with 1 additional year.