On May 31, 2026, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Science and ICT announced the expansion of the scope of the Top-Tier Visa from June to cover professors and researchers in science and technology. The visa had previously been limited to staff at companies in eight high-tech industries, such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence.
The Top Tier Visa program, which took effect in April 2025, aims to attract top-tier foreign talent with residency support in Korea by granting ‘Top Talent Resident (F-2)’ status to senior engineers and their family members. Permanent residence can be granted after three years of stay.
Top-Tier Visa eligibility includes a foreigner who has obtained a master’s or doctoral degree from a university ranked among the world’s top 100 with experience in a global company or research institute and who receives a salary exceeding three times the GNI per capita.
Education or work experience requirements are exempted for those whose annual earned income is four times the GNI per capita.
The eligibility also includes individuals from Korea-based universities or companies fulfilling the above requirements as well as those from overseas universities and companies.
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