Student Visa to F-2-7 Korea: The D-2 and D-10 Fast Track to Residency

Completing a master's degree at a Korean university is one of the fastest paths to F-2-7 long-term residency — faster, in many cases, than spending three years on an employment visa. If you graduated from a Korean university with a master's or doctorate, you can apply for the F-2-7 without the standard three-year wait. You just need a job offer and 80 points on the assessment sheet.

The Two Student Visa Categories

D-2 (Student Visa): This is the standard visa for full-time international students enrolled in degree programs at Korean universities. It covers undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs.

D-10 (Job Seeker / Training Visa): This is the visa issued to graduates who are actively seeking employment in Korea. It serves as a transitional status between completing a degree and securing full-time employment. D-10 holders can stay in Korea for up to six months (extendable) while searching for a job.

The F-2-7 fast-track pathway is available from either of these statuses, provided you have completed a Korean master's or doctoral degree.

How the Fast Track Works

The standard F-2-7 eligibility requires three consecutive years of legal stay on an eligible employment or investment visa. For D-2 and D-10 holders who graduated from a Korean university with a master's or doctorate, this three-year residency requirement is waived.

You can apply for the F-2-7 directly after graduation if you have:

1. Completed a master's or doctoral degree at a Korean university
2. Secured a job offer (employment contract)
3. Scored 80 or more points on the F-2-7 assessment sheet

The job offer requirement is firm. You cannot apply for the F-2-7 on the D-10 without an employment contract in hand. Some applicants attempt to apply immediately after graduation without employment — this is not accepted.

Why This Pathway Is Genuinely Valuable

For most international students who graduate from a Korean university, the points calculation is favorable compared to new arrivals from abroad. Here is why:

Language points are stronger. Completing a Korean master's program requires a minimum level of Korean proficiency, and most graduates have TOPIK 4 or 5 by graduation. That is 15–20 language points before any KIIP bonus.

Domestic degree bonus. Degrees from Korean universities earn 5–10 additional bonus points depending on the degree level. A Korean master's gives 7 bonus points on top of the standard education score.

No three-year wait. The biggest advantage is eliminating the three-year employment visa requirement. A 26-year-old who arrives on a D-2 visa at 22, completes a four-year program (combined undergraduate and master's, or a master's only), and secures a job offer at graduation can be in F-2-7 status before age 27.

Sample Points Calculation: D-2 Graduate

A 26-year-old with a STEM master's from a Korean university, TOPIK 5, and a job offer paying ₩40 million taxable income:

• Age (26): 25 points
• Education (Master's STEM): 20 points
• Language (TOPIK 5): 20 points
• Income (₩40M): 40 points
• Bonus — Korean domestic master's: 7 points
• Total: 112 points

That is 32 points above the minimum, granting a strong multi-year validity period on the F-2-7.

The D-10 to F-2-7 Timeline

After graduation on a D-2:

1. Apply for a D-10 visa at the immigration office. Bring your degree certificate, transcript, and graduation confirmation from the university.
2. Begin job searching. D-10 allows you to stay in Korea legally while looking for work.
3. Secure an employment contract. The job offer must be from an employer who can legally hire you under your intended E-series visa or directly under the F-2-7 if your immigration status supports it.
4. Collect all F-2-7 documents (see below).
5. Apply for F-2-7 status change at the regional immigration office.

The status change can typically be completed within the D-10 period. Do not let the D-10 expire before applying — if your status lapses, you will need to leave and re-enter, which complicates the application.

Documents Required

For the D-2/D-10 to F-2-7 fast-track application:

• Passport and ARC
• Degree certificate and transcript from the Korean university
• Graduation confirmation (졸업증명서) from the university's registry
• Employment contract with your new employer
• Income amount certificate if you have Korean-sourced income from part-time work (optional but helpful)
• F-2-7 application form
• ARC-sized photo
• Application fee (approximately ₩130,000 for status change)

Note: For this fast-track specifically, the foreign degree apostille is often not required since your qualifying degree is Korean. The immigration office can verify Korean university degrees through its own channels. However, if you are also claiming points for a foreign degree held in addition to your Korean degree, the foreign degree will still need apostille authentication.

What About Undergraduate Degrees from Korean Universities?

The three-year exemption explicitly covers master's and doctoral degrees from Korean universities. A Korean bachelor's degree alone does not trigger the exemption. If you completed only an undergraduate program in Korea, you would still need to spend three years on an employment visa before applying for F-2-7 — unless you qualify through the income exemption (₩40M+ taxable income).

However, a Korean bachelor's degree does give you 5 bonus points in the additional points category, and it may improve your language scores if you completed the program. It simply does not waive the residency requirement by itself.

After the F-2-7: Pathways Forward

Korean domestic graduates who obtain the F-2-7 through this fast-track have an additional advantage for future F-5 permanent residency. The F-5-10 (Domestic Graduate Permanent Residency) requires only 1x GNI income (approximately ₩49,955,000) rather than the 2x GNI required for the standard F-5-16 path. With three years of F-2-7 experience, a Korean-educated professional can upgrade to full permanent residency with a much more achievable income target.

The South Korea F-2 Points-Based Residency Guide covers the complete D-2/D-10 to F-2-7 pathway, including the exact documents the immigration office requires at each stage and the specific point calculation advantages available to domestic graduates.

See more South Korea guides →