E-7-T (Promising Top-Tier) Korea Visa Guide | 2026

1. What E-7-T Is

E-7-T is a 특정활동 (specific activity) status granted under the Ministry of Justice's Top-Tier guideline. Where an applicant satisfies the Top-Tier education and career criteria but their income is at least 2x per-capita GNI, they receive 유망톱티어 E-7-T on the recommendation of the relevant ministry, instead of the full 톱티어 거주 (F-2-T). It is explicitly a stepping stone: after a year of stay at 2x GNI it converts to F-2-T.

2. Eligibility Checklist

• Meets the Top-Tier education and career criteria for the advanced-industry (첨단산업) track.
• Income is at least 2x per-capita GNI — below the 3x that qualifies directly for F-2-T.
• Holds a recommendation from the relevant ministry (관계부처 추천).
• Alternatively, is already on preliminary Top-Tier job-seeking status (D-10-T) and has reached the 2x GNI income line.
• Not subject to stay-permit restrictions (unpaid taxes and similar).

3. Criteria Summary

• E-7-T is not scored on the E-7-4 K-point framework — it is a recommendation-and-threshold status under the Top-Tier guideline.
• The number that decides your rung is the GNI multiple: 2x lands on E-7-T, 3x (or a national attraction project, or the review committee) reaches F-2-T directly.
• Upgrade path: one year of stay on E-7-T plus income at 2x GNI converts to 톱티어 거주 (F-2-T).
• Applications are handled by a dedicated unit — the Top Talent and Investment Support Center at Seoul Immigration — rather than the ordinary office queue.

4. Salary and Contract Rules

• The income test is a multiple of per-capita Gross National Income as published by the Bank of Korea, not a fixed won figure, so the threshold moves each year.
• 2x GNI is the entry line for E-7-T and is also the level that must still hold at the one-year mark to convert to F-2-T.
• Income, education and career evidence are assessed together with the sponsoring ministry's recommendation.
• Reaching 3x GNI removes the need for this tier at all — that is a direct F-2-T case.

5. Employer and Workplace Change Rules

• Filed electronically: the applicant, or an employer acting on their behalf through a corporate Visa Portal account, can lodge the e-visa application.
• In-country business — status change, extension, change of workplace, change of registered particulars — goes through HiKorea as an electronic application.
• Change of workplace is one of the matters the dedicated unit handles, so it is an administrative step rather than a re-qualification.
• Registered Top-Tier holders can obtain an immigration fast-track card, usable with up to a set number of accompanying people.

6. Required Documents

• Evidence of the Top-Tier education criterion for the advanced-industry track.
• Career evidence for the field.
• Income evidence demonstrating at least 2x per-capita GNI.
• The relevant ministry's recommendation.
• Documents establishing that no stay-permit restriction applies.
• For dependants, the relationship evidence described under family rules.

7. Fees and Processing

• Handled by a dedicated unit: the Top Talent and Investment Support Center at the Seoul Immigration Office.
• Overseas applicants file an e-visa via the Visa Portal; short-stay holders and registered foreign residents change status in person or through the electronic channel.
• Dependants abroad — including parents and a domestic helper — apply by e-visa.
• Processing is deliberately streamlined relative to ordinary E-7 categories, but the ministry recommendation must be in hand first.

8. Common Rejection Reasons

• Income falls below the 2x GNI line for the year of application.
• The ministry recommendation is absent or does not cover the claimed field.
• Education or career evidence does not meet the advanced-industry Top-Tier criteria.
• A stay-permit restriction applies — unpaid taxes being the example the guideline names.
• Applying for the wrong rung: 3x GNI cases belong on F-2-T, and applicants without confirmed employment belong on D-10-T.

9. FAQ