F-2-6 (Skilled Function Residence Workforce) Korea Visa Guide | 2026

1. What F-2-6 Is

A 거주(F-2) residence subtype formerly used for skilled foreign workers ('숙련기능 거주인력'). The manual states plainly that this status was abolished, with existing/pending cases folded into the separate '장기거주' (long-term residence) category rather than continuing under F-2-6.

2. Eligibility Checklist

• Abolished effective '19. 10. 1. (October 1, 2019) — stated explicitly.
• Grandfather clause: people who applied for the old 숙련거주 status by September 30, 2019 (or whose change-of-status was decided after that date based on a pre-9/30 application) are still processed, but on their first extension they are administratively reclassified ('직권정정') into 장기거주 rather than remaining coded F-2-6.
• After that reclassification, subsequent extensions apply the '기타 장기체류자에 대한 거주 체류자격 변경 기준' (the general long-term-resident change-of-status criteria), not F-2-6-specific rules.
• Not a code to issue to new applicants — it no longer exists as an active status.

3. Criteria Summary

• F-2-6 is not a points-based category.
• The definition above is taken from the manual's own wording for this code.
• Numeric thresholds, stay periods and fees are set in the manual's tables and annexes and are deliberately not reproduced here — confirm the current figures before filing.
• Where a rule depends on another status, check that status's own criteria too; several of these codes take their conditions from a principal holder.

4. Salary and Contract Rules

• The manual does not attach a salary or contract framework to this code specifically.
• Where income or financial capacity is assessed, it is evidenced with the documents named under that requirement rather than against a published floor.
• If your circumstances involve employment, verify separately whether this status authorises it — several of these categories do not.
• Do not assume the salary rules of a neighbouring code apply; they are set per status.

5. Employer and Workplace Change Rules

• Employer sponsorship is not the organising basis of this code.
• Any economic activity must fall within what the status authorises; where it does not, activity-outside-status permission is the mechanism.
• Report changes of circumstance that bear on the ground for the status.
• Keep the evidence that established eligibility available for extension reviews.

6. Required Documents

• Application form, passport, standard photograph and the fee.
• Evidence establishing the ground on which this status is claimed, as described above.
• Residence and identity documents as required at the counter.
• Any further documents the reviewing office considers necessary.

7. Fees and Processing

• Fees follow the published schedule for the application type rather than the subtype.
• Processing time varies by office workload and by how clearly the qualifying ground is evidenced.
• Where a principal holder's status governs the period granted, the principal's expiry date is the practical constraint.
• Apply with margin before any existing permission expires.

8. Common Rejection Reasons

• The qualifying ground for this specific code is not established by the evidence.
• The circumstances fit a neighbouring code better, making this a category mismatch.
• Supporting documents are incomplete, inconsistent, or out of date.
• An underlying condition the status depends on has ceased to apply.
• Unresolved immigration compliance history.

9. FAQ