You can work in Korea without an employer sponsoring your visa if you hold F-5 (Permanent Residence), F-6 (Marriage Migrant), F-4 (Overseas Korean) or most types of F-2 (Residence). F-5 and F-6 holders can work in any occupation. F-4 holders can work in any job except simple labor and the other occupations listed in a Ministry of Justice notice. F-2 holders either have no restriction or are free of restriction while they continue working in the field of their previous status, depending on the F-2 subtype. Unlike work statuses such as E-7 (Special Occupation), these statuses are not on the list of work statuses tied to a designated workplace (Enforcement Decree Article 23(1)), and under separate provisions they are not subject to the work restrictions tied to each status category.

Cartoon illustration of a man and a woman in business attire walking together down a city street lined with glass buildings and trees

How does the allowed work differ by status?

StatusCan you work?ConditionsLegal basis
F-5 (Permanent Residence)Yes, in any occupationNot restricted in scope of activities or period of stayImmigration Act Article 10-3(1)
F-6 (Marriage Migrant)Yes, in any occupationNot subject to the work restrictions tied to each status categoryEnforcement Decree Article 23(2)3
F-2 (Residence) items Ga, Na, Da and Ja through PaYes, in any occupationFor item Pa, the notified criteria include target industries and regions and whether you live and work there, so you need to check those criteriaEnforcement Decree Article 23(2)1
F-2 (Residence) items Ra and BaYes, with conditionsFree of restriction only while you continue working in the field of your previous statusEnforcement Decree Article 23(2)2
F-4 (Overseas Korean)Yes, with conditionsSimple labor, work contrary to public morals, and jobs restricted for the public interest are not allowed, with an exception for regional specialized visa areasEnforcement Decree Article 23(3), MOJ Notice No. 2026-65
E-7Only within the permitted scopeYou may work only at the designated workplace, and changing or adding a workplace requires prior permission or a report within the set deadlineImmigration Act Articles 18(2) and 21(1)

Can F-5 and F-6 holders take any job?

Under Article 10-3(1) of the Immigration Act, F-5 holders are not restricted in their scope of activities or period of stay. Under Article 23(2)3 of the Enforcement Decree, F-6 holders are not subject to the work restrictions tied to each status category. Both can work in office, production or service jobs without limitation by field.

If an occupation itself requires a Korean license or qualification, however, you need that license or qualification separately from your residence status. What your status allows and what an occupation requires should be checked separately.

Why does the F-2 subtype matter?

F-2 (Residence) is divided into items Ga through Pa according to the reason it was granted, and the work scope differs by item.

  • No restriction: items listed in Article 23(2)1 of the Enforcement Decree, such as minor foreign children of Korean nationals or spouses of permanent residents (item Ga), recognized refugees (item Da), and people who meet the age, education and income criteria notified by the Minister of Justice (item Ja).
  • Previous field only: people who meet foreign investment conditions (item Ra) and people who have stayed in Korea continuously for 5 years or more with their base of life in Korea (item Ba) are free of restriction only while they continue working in the field of their previous status.
  • Depopulation area item (Pa): people who meet criteria notified by the Minister of Justice that take into account target industries and regions, whether the person lives and works in that region, and for how long. You need to check whether the workplace meets those criteria.

People who lost permanent residence but were allowed to keep staying in Korea (item Ma) and people appointed as public officials (item Ah) are not listed in Article 23(2) of the Enforcement Decree, so they should confirm their work scope with the immigration office before taking other work. Before looking for a job, it is best to confirm which F-2 item you were granted.

Which jobs are restricted for F-4 holders?

Under Article 23(3) of the Enforcement Decree, F-4 (Overseas Korean) holders are not subject to the activity restrictions tied to each status category except in the following cases.

  1. Simple labor
  2. Activities contrary to good morals or other social order
  3. Cases where restricting employment is deemed necessary to maintain the public interest or domestic employment order

The specific occupations are listed in Attachment 1 (detailed occupations that count as simple labor) and Attachment 2 of Ministry of Justice Notice No. 2026-65, in effect since February 12, 2026. For example, moving laborers, parcel delivery workers and quick delivery couriers (including delivery agency riders) are in Attachment 1. Working at gambling business premises or as an entertainment worker at an entertainment bar is also restricted.

There is an exception. The notice provides that F-4 holders with their residence in a city, county or district of a depopulation area designated by the Minister of Justice for the regional specialized visa program, or within the metropolitan city or province to which that residence belongs, are not restricted when doing simple labor (item 1-Ga) or Attachment 2 occupations (item 1-Da). Even under this exception, the restriction on activities contrary to social order (item 1-Na) still applies.

How is this different from work or job-seeking statuses?

Work statuses such as E-7 cannot be used to work anywhere other than the designated workplace under Article 18(2) of the Immigration Act. To change or add a workplace, you must obtain prior permission under Article 21(1) of the same Act, and certain professionals specified by Presidential Decree must instead report within 15 days after changing or adding a workplace. Because status and workplace are tied together, each change of company involves an immigration procedure.

D-10 (Job Seeking) and D-2 (Study) are not statuses that allow employment, so to work formally you first need an immigration procedure such as a change of status permit. F-2, F-4, F-5 and F-6 holders can look for work right away within the scope their status allows, without such a procedure. F-5 holders are not limited in their period of stay, but F-2, F-4 and F-6 holders must separately obtain an extension permit before their permitted period of stay ends.

This article was checked as of October 31, 2026 against the current text of the Immigration Act and its Enforcement Decree and the original text of Ministry of Justice Notice No. 2026-65.

How NewWorldJob checks your status

When NewWorldJob (Hwang Yunsang Employment Agency) receives a job seeker registration, we check the residence status, detailed code and period of stay on your Alien Registration Card or Domestic Residence Report Card, confirm that the work you want is allowed under that status, and then introduce you to employers. For F-4 holders, we also check whether the desired job is one of the restricted occupations in the notice. Applications for a change of status or an extension of stay can be handled by Hwang Yunsang Administrative Agent Office under a separate contract, and whether you use that service has no effect on job introductions.