F-5-20 (Korea-Born Child of a Permanent Resident) Korea Visa Guide | 2026

1. What F-5-20 Is

F-5-20 (영주권자의 국내 출생 자녀) is for a child BORN IN KOREA to a parent holding permanent residence. Note the timing rule the manual attaches to it: the application for grant of status must be made within the prescribed number of days from the date of birth, and children born outside Korea are excluded.

2. Eligibility Checklist

• Applicant satisfies current F-5-20 pathway conditions.
• Status-history and pathway records are complete and verifiable.
• Income/support evidence meets applicable standards.
• No unresolved immigration/tax compliance issues remain.
• Pathway-specific required evidence is fully prepared.

3. Criteria Summary

• F-5-20 is not points-based.
• Review is pathway-fit and threshold-evidence driven.
• Historical documentary consistency is a major decision factor.
• Broken evidence chains often trigger supplements/refusal.

4. Salary and Contract Rules

• F-5-20 emphasizes sustained support capacity, not one-off spikes.
• Income/tax records should align across the full review period.
• Employment/business records used as support must be timeline-consistent.
• Material discrepancies increase rejection risk.

5. Employer and Workplace Change Rules

• F-5-20 is not employer-sponsored.
• Historical workplace/business compliance is still reviewed.
• Legacy reporting gaps can trigger deeper scrutiny.
• Reconcile historical records before filing.

6. Required Documents

• Application form, passport, ARC, photo, and fee proof.
• F-5-20 pathway and stay-history records.
• Income/tax/support-capacity evidence.
• Pathway-specific supporting documents.
• Additional office-requested verification documents.

7. Fees and Processing

• Fees follow current F-5 schedules.
• Processing is typically longer than temporary-stay categories.
• Supplements are common in history-heavy files.
• Submit a structured evidence index to reduce delays.

8. Common Rejection Reasons

• Pathway criteria are not met under current F-5-20 standards.
• Income/support evidence is insufficient or inconsistent.
• Status-history continuity is weak or contradictory.
• Compliance issues remain unresolved.
• Core records cannot be verified by the reviewing office.

9. FAQ