F-1 Visa Korea — Family Visit Status, Subtypes & Who Can Sponsor You

F-1-1: Family of a Korean citizen (non-spouse)

Parents, grandparents, adult children, or siblings of a Korean citizen wishing to live in Korea for an extended period.

F-1-2: Parents accompanying long-term resident foreigners

Parents of foreigners holding E-1 through E-7 work visas or D-series study visas who wish to accompany their child.

F-1-3: Elderly parents of overseas Koreans

Parents (typically 60+) of F-4 (overseas Korean) visa holders joining their overseas Korean child in Korea.

F-1-4: Dependent family of specific status holders

Family members of certain visa categories not covered by standard F-3 companion status.

F-1-D: Digital nomad companion status (May 2025)

F-1-D now has two distinct uses:

1. *Specific dependent companion* — for certain dependents in quasi-family relationships tied to another status holder
2. *Digital nomad dependent* — spouse and dependents accompanying an F-1-D digital nomad visa holder (added as the digital nomad F-1-D visa was formalized in May 2025). The digital nomad's companion also receives F-1-D status tied to the main F-1-D holder's permitted stay period.

F-1-28: New subtype

A specific subtype added under the revised F-1 guidelines — covers additional family dependency situations not previously enumerated. Eligibility is defined by the Ministry of Justice guidelines.

F-1-52: Children from prior marriage of a marriage immigrant (March 2025)

Added March 2025. Covers the biological or adopted children that a marriage immigrant ( holder) had from a previous marriage or relationship, who are not children of the current Korean sponsor. This addresses a gap where stepchildren joining their F-6 parent in Korea had no clear subtype. Requirements: the F-6 holder must be actively residing in Korea, and the child must be under 19 (or under 25 in school).

Korean citizen sponsor (F-1-1, F-1-3):

• Korean citizen must be registered in Korea (주민등록 active)

• Provide 가족관계증명서 showing the family relationship

• Proof of income or financial capacity to support the holder

Foreign resident sponsor (F-1-2, F-1-4):

• Sponsoring foreigner must hold a qualifying long-term visa (E-series, D-series, F-series)

• Provide ARC, visa status confirmation, and income documentation

• Relationship proven by apostilled official family documents

For most categories, the sponsoring party must demonstrate household income meeting the 기준 중위소득 threshold for the combined household size.

Duration: is typically issued for 1 year, renewable annually.

Work restrictions: Standard holders cannot work without separate work authorization. There is no inherent work right on — unlike , , , or . If you need to work in Korea, you need to qualify for a separate work visa.

F-1 vs F-3: is for immediate family (spouse and children) accompanying a specific visa holder, issued alongside the main visa. is for extended family members, adult children of residents, elderly parents, and situations where F-3 does not apply.