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Pathway

South Korea Worker Family Residence

South Korea Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

A spouse or unmarried child under 18 may join a worker with E1–E5 or E7 status in South Korea. Income, housing, and other family requirements apply, and F3 status does not give general work permission.

Worker’s status
E1, E2, E3, E4, E5, or E7
Who can join
Spouse or unmarried child under 18
Income
Current household-size requirement, unless an accepted exception applies

Summary

Eligible family members can accompany a qualifying foreign worker in South Korea, with each person applying on the basis of their relationship to the sponsor. The family member’s permission and employment rights need their own checks.

The worker must meet the current family-support and housing requirements. Each relative needs an application, and family status does not give general permission to work.

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Eligibility

The worker and relationship

You must be the spouse or unmarried child under 18 of a worker in one of the listed categories. Parents, siblings, and adult children are not covered by this relationship test. Other F3 family situations need a separate assessment.

Income, housing, and documents

The worker must meet the current income requirement for the household size and the housing conditions, or document an applicable exception. E7-4 workers must also provide the required Korean-language evidence.

Use the current consulate checklist for certified relationship records, the worker’s residence registration and employment, income, housing, and identity documents. Some records and exceptions depend on where you apply.

Do not rely on a checklist that predates the income and housing evidence introduced in 2025.

Joining a professional worker in South Korea
  1. Confirm the worker’s category Check E1–E5 or E7 status and the accepted family relationship.
  2. Check support and housing Meet the current income, accommodation, and any E7-4 language requirements.
  3. Apply for each family member Use the current consulate checklist and check work rights separately.

This guide does not cover every F3 sponsor category or the families of all foreign workers.

What This Route Allows

Approval lets you stay with the worker for the period shown on your own permission. Check renewal requirements if the worker changes status or a child reaches the age limit.

F3 is not general employment permission. Obtain the appropriate work approval or another status before taking a job.

What This Route Is Not

This does not cover every foreign worker’s family. An E9 job, for example, is not treated as one of the professional-worker categories covered here.

A visit is different from family residence, and one relative’s approval does not automatically cover the whole household.

Next Steps

  1. Confirm the worker’s exact status and that your relationship is covered.
  2. Check the household-size income requirement, housing, and any documented exception or E7-4 language evidence.
  3. Gather the current consulate checklist’s family, employment, immigration, financial, and identity records.
  4. Complete certification, translation, entry, and registration steps, then check your own permission before working.

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Discussed in these reports

Other routes in South Korea.

Sources