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Gov't extends D-10 job seeker visa to three years, introduces another intern option

Published: 31 Oct. 2025, 18:20

LEE TAE-HEE
[email protected]

Various job seekers attend the Job Fair for International Students held in Haeundae District, Busan on Aug. 19. [SONG BONG-KEUN]

International job seekers can now extend their stay in Korea for up to three years under the D-10 job seeker visa, with a new visa also introduced to allow overseas candidates to take part in internships in Korea.

According to the Ministry of Justice, starting from Oct. 29, the D-10 job seeker visa can be extended for up to three years.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance announced a series of economic policies — including one to extend the maximum stay of the D-10 job seeker visa from two years to three — back in January 2024.

The D-10 visa previously granted an initial six-month stay, but now applicants receive an initial stay period of up to one year, which can be extended in one-year increments.

Previous D-10 visa holders could also only work as an intern for up to one year and at a single company for no more than six months. But under new regulations, D-10 holders can now intern at one company for up to one year, with no limit on the total internship period.

The Ministry of Justice also introduced the "K-Trainee" visa, or the D-4-2K, also implemented on Oct. 29.

The visa allows international students at overseas universities and foreign nationals employed at overseas offices of Korean companies to intern at the company headquarters in Korea.

The D-4-2K has two eligibility criteria.

One is foreign nationals aged 29 or younger in at least their third year of undergraduate studies at a university with an industry-academia partnership with a Korean company. They must hold a Topik level of 2 or higher.

Another is professional employees — referring to those eligible to work in E-7-1 and E-7-2 work visa fields — at an overseas office of a Korean company.

Applicants in both categories must also be nationals of one of nine countries: Vietnam, China, Thailand, Japan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.

The D-4-2K visa initially allows holders to stay in Korea for up to seven months — a six-month internship period and one additional month of residence — but can be extended for up to one year. Visa holders must return to their home country after that period, as the visa is intended to provide opportunities to gain experience at a company’s Korean headquarters.

“We have established policies that provide various paths to help nurture and recruit promising talent sought by Korean companies while also allowing these individuals to return to overseas offices and strengthen the competitiveness of our companies,” said Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho. “Going forward, we plan to continue developing policies that reflect the practical needs of industries by attracting diverse talent and helping them settle in Korea.”

Getting the D-10 and E-7 visas will also become easier for certain candidates.

The D-10 visa is issued through a point-based system that requires applicants to score at least 60 points out of a total of 190. However, foreign nationals aged 29 or younger who either graduated from an overseas university listed in the top 200 world university rankings or majored in Korean studies and obtained a Topik level of 6 will be exempt from the point-based evaluation.

They will also be exempt from the major and work experience requirements when applying for the E-7 visa.

While not entirely exempt from the D-10 point system, foreign nationals aged 29 or younger who hold a bachelor’s degree or higher in a STEM field from a university ranked within the top 1,000 in the QS World University Rankings — and that is also located in one of the nine D-4-2K partner countries — will receive an additional 20 points. These applicants will be exempt from the work experience requirement when applying for the E-7 visa.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [[email protected]]