South Korea Lists 4 Requirements To Qualify For 150 New Work Visa Slots For Foreigners
- South Korea's Ministry of Justice announced the requirements for the 150 new work visa slots under the E-7-3 category
- Both the worker and their employer must independently meet separate conditions before an application can succeed
- The pilot programme runs from January 2026 to December 2027, meaning the window to apply is already open
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South Korea has announced the requirements for the 150 new work visa slots for foreigners under its General Skilled Worker (E-7-3) visa category.
According to official guidance, all slots are reserved for a single occupation: slaughterhouse workers.
Source: UGC
The South Korean Ministry of Justice confirmed the details on July 14, 2026, and the conditions are specific enough that not every interested applicant will make the cut.
There are four requirements in total, three sitting with the worker and one resting entirely with the employer. All four must be satisfied before an application can proceed.
The 4 Requirements for the E-7-3 Slaughterhouse Worker Visa
The first requirement is a recommendation letter. Applicants must obtain an Employment Recommendation Letter issued specifically by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Livestock Distribution Team.
This document is listed as mandatory in the official guidance, meaning no application moves forward without it.
The second requirement concerns training or certification. A candidate must have either completed slaughter-related training at a recognised educational institution or hold a relevant certification from such an institution. One of these two pathways is sufficient.
The third requirement is experience. The applicant must have accumulated at least three years of work experience in the field, but this experience must come after the training or certification described above, not before it.
Prior experience that predates the qualification does not count toward the three-year threshold.
The fourth requirement shifts to the employer. The company must be formally registered as a slaughterhouse, and it must have recorded no employee departures within the past year.
If the employer fails either of these conditions, the worker's application cannot succeed regardless of their personal qualifications.
South Korea: What Else Applicants Should Know
Beyond the four requirements, the Ministry of Justice has also updated its per-company hiring rules.
Previously, each slaughterhouse could take on a maximum of two foreign workers under this visa. That cap has been revised: companies may now hire two or more, and those bringing in three or more foreign workers are permitted to hire up to 20% of their national workforce count as additional foreign staff.
The 150 slots are available annually, and the pilot runs from January 2026 through December 2027. The first 12 foreign slaughterhouse technicians to enter South Korea under the scheme arrived on 14 July 2026, marking the first time foreign workers have entered the country through this specific visa channel.
South Korea publishes guidance on 5-year jail
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that South Korea's immigration system flagged a specific category of foreigners who risk up to five years in prison under the Personal Information Protection Act.
The offence involves using another foreigner's passport number or alien registration number to make an immigration office visit reservation.
Source: Legit.ng
