E-7 wage requirement 2026: KRW 31,120,000 for professionals and the minimum by type

From February 1 to December 31, 2026, the wage requirement applied to the issuance of visa issuance certificates and other procedures for E-7 (Special Occupation) status is at least KRW 31,120,000 a year for E-7-1 (Professional), at least KRW 25,890,000 a year for E-7-2 (Semi-professional) and E-7-3 (General Skilled), and at least KRW 26,000,000 a year for E-7-4 (Skilled Worker) (Ministry of Justice Notice No. 2025-406). If the salary promised to the foreign worker is below the amount for the type, the wage requirement is not met. However, for occupations where the Minister of Justice has set a different wage standard to protect jobs for Korean nationals, that occupation’s standard applies.

What is the minimum E-7 salary by type in 2026?

The Ministry of Justice announces the E-7 wage standard under Article 7(7) of the Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Act. That provision requires the Minister of Justice to consider the domestic employment situation when issuing a visa for a status that allows employment. The 2026 standard was announced on December 29, 2025. Compared with the 2025 standard (Ministry of Justice Notice No. 2025-106), it is as follows.

How do you tell whether an agreed salary meets the requirement?

Every amount in the notice is stated as “or more,” so compared with the standard that applies to the occupation, a yearly wage at or above the amount meets the requirement and a lower one does not. The table below assumes the general wage standard applies and the full agreed salary is recognized as yearly wages, and the salaries are example figures to show how the check works.

Which applications does the wage requirement apply to?

The notice says the standard applies to the issuance of E-7 visa issuance certificates and other procedures. A visa issuance certificate may be issued by the Minister of Justice, when deemed particularly necessary, at the request of a foreigner who intends to enter Korea, before a visa is issued, and under Article 9(2) of the Immigration Act the company inviting that foreigner may apply on the foreigner’s behalf. Because the notice says “issuance and other procedures,” which standard applies to other applications such as an extension of stay or a change of workplace needs to be checked for each type of application.

How much is that per month?

The notice sets the standard only as a yearly amount. Divided by 12 months, it comes to about KRW 2,590,000 a month for E-7-1, about KRW 2,160,000 for E-7-2 and E-7-3, and about KRW 2,170,000 for E-7-4. The notice does not say which wage items count toward the yearly salary, so if you plan to reach the standard by adding bonuses or allowances, it is safer to confirm the yearly pay structure in the employment contract with the immigration office before applying.

Is meeting the wage requirement enough to hire on E-7?

No. Annex 1-2 of the Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Act defines E-7 as the status for a person who intends to engage in an activity specially designated by the Minister of Justice under a contract with a public institution, private organization or similar body in Korea. The work you assign must fall within an activity designated by the Minister of Justice, and the wage requirement must be met as well.

Steps

1. Check the work: Check whether the work you will assign is an activity the Minister of Justice has designated for E-7, and whether that occupation has a separate wage standard.
2. Compare the salary: Check that the salary in the employment contract is at least the amount for the type (E-7-1 KRW 31,120,000, E-7-2 and E-7-3 KRW 25,890,000, E-7-4 KRW 26,000,000 a year).
3. Sign the contract: The company and the foreign worker sign a contract stating the work and the salary.
4. Apply for the visa issuance certificate: Under Article 9(2) of the Immigration Act, the inviting company may apply on the foreign worker’s behalf. From February 1 to December 31, 2026, the 2026 standard applies to the issuance of visa issuance certificates and other procedures.

This post was checked as of November 4, 2026 against the original Ministry of Justice Notices No. 2025-406 and No. 2025-106 posted on the Korea Immigration Service website and the provisions of the Immigration Act and its Enforcement Decree in the National Law Information Center.

Frequently asked questions

Will KRW 31,120,000 still be the standard in 2027?

This notice alone does not tell you. Notice No. 2025-406 applies until December 31, 2026, so the 2027 standard depends on a new Ministry of Justice notice. The 2025 standard was announced on March 20, 2025, and the 2026 standard on December 29, 2025.

Did the new standard apply in January 2026?

No. The notice says the previous wage standard applies until January 31, 2026.

Did the Skilled Worker (E-7-4) standard go up?

No. Both the 2025 and 2026 notices set the E-7-4 wage requirement at KRW 26,000,000 a year or more.

Is there another option if the salary is slightly below the standard?

For an occupation under the general standard, a salary below the amount in the notice’s table does not meet the wage requirement for that type. The only exception the notice sets out is an occupation for which the Minister of Justice has set a different standard, so first check whether your occupation is one of them, and if not, set the salary at or above the standard.

How New World Job checks

When New World Job (Hwang Yunsang Job Placement Agency) receives a job request, it checks the work and the salary and confirms that the job seeker’s visa status allows that work before making an introduction. For an E-7 hire, it checks the period of application and the wage standard for the occupation, and also checks that the agreed salary is at least that standard.

If an application for a visa issuance certificate is needed, Hwang Yunsang Administrative Agent Office can file it for you under a separate contract. Whether you use the office has no effect on the introduction.