Settling in Korea is built out of years, not visa names
Which status to take right after graduation — Job Seeking (D-10), Specific Activities (E-7) or Residence (F-2) — is covered in the guide on post-study visa options. This article covers the stage above it: how many years it takes, and what is demanded of you, to go from Residence (F-2) through Permanent Residence (F-5) to naturalisation. Every box on that path carries a number of years, and what matters is when the counting starts.
The F-2 points system: 80 points out of 170
The points table for Residence (F-2) item (i) — commonly called F-2-7 — is set by Ministry of Justice Notice No. 2025-408, in force since 24 October 2025. The pass mark is 80 points in total; the maximum is 170.
- Age (max 25) — 25 points for ages 25 to 29; 23 for 18 to 24 and 30 to 34; 20 for 35 to 39; 12 for 40 to 44; 8 for 45 to 50; 3 for 51 and over.
- Education (max 25) — a doctorate scores 25 if it is in science or engineering or if you hold two or more degrees, otherwise 20. A master's scores 20 or 17, a bachelor's 17 or 15, an associate degree 15 or 10.
- Basic competency (max 20) — TOPIK level 5 or KIIP stage 5: 20 points; level 4: 15; level 3: 10; level 2: 5; level 1: 3.
- Annual income (max 60) — 60 points for 100 million won or more; 45 for 50 to 60 million; 40 for 40 to 50 million; 30 for 30 to 40 million; 10 from the minimum wage up to 30 million. If you are not employed, or submit no income documents, you score 0.
- Bonus points (max 40) — KIIP stage 5: 10 points. A Korean bachelor's degree 5, master's 7, doctorate 10. A degree from a university ranked within the QS top 500 or the THE top 200: bachelor's 15, master's 20, doctorate 30. Three years or more of volunteering (18 sessions and 150 hours or more): 7.
Two routes matter for former students. As an international talent, you need a master's degree or higher from a regular programme at a Korean university, plus a confirmed job in an occupation from Professor (E-1) to Specific Activities (E-7) or from Journalism (D-5) to Trade Management (D-9), within five years of the date of your degree. As a professional, you need three or more consecutive years of lawful residence under those statuses.
Permanent Residence (F-5): five years becomes three, and a doctorate has no waiting period
A foreign national with permanent residence is not subject to limits on activity or period of stay (Immigration Act, Article 10-3(1)). Of the routes listed in Annex 1-3 of the Enforcement Decree, four reach former students.
- Someone who has stayed five years or more under a status from Intra-company Transferee (D-7) to Specific Activities (E-7), or under Residence (F-2) (item 1). Study Abroad (D-2) is not on that list, so your years as a student do not count here.
- Someone who has stayed three years or more under Residence (F-2) item (i), the F-2-7 points status (item 13). Same permanent residence, two years sooner.
- Someone who completed a regular graduate programme in Korea and earned a doctorate (item 7(b)). No period-of-stay requirement is attached.
- Someone holding a bachelor's degree or higher in a field designated by the Minister of Justice, or a designated technical certificate, who has been in Korea for three years or more and is employed by a Korean company at or above a wage set by the Minister at the time of application (item 8).
Permanent residence also demands conduct, income and basic competency
Meeting one of those routes is not enough. Article 18-4 of the Enforcement Rules adds three requirements.
- Conduct — for a prison sentence actually served, five years must have passed since the sentence ended or was remitted; for a suspended sentence, five years since the judgment became final; for a fine, three years since you paid it. Three or more violations of the Immigration Act in the last five years also disqualify you (administrative fines excluded).
- Income — the combined income of you and the family members you support must be at or above the previous year's per capita Gross National Income (GNI) as published by the Bank of Korea, or your household assets must be at or above the median level.
- Basic competency — you must have completed the Korea Immigration and Integration Program, or scored 60 or more out of 100 on the comprehensive evaluation for permanent residence.
Changing your status to Permanent Residence (F-5) costs 200,000 won. The permanent residence card is valid for 10 years and must be reissued before it expires; reissue costs 35,000 won.
The integration programme (KIIP) runs 515 hours
This is the practical route to the basic competency requirement. Stage 0 (basics) is 15 hours, stages 1 to 4 are 100 hours each, stage 5 basic (for permanent residence) is 70 hours and stage 5 advanced (for naturalisation) is 30 hours — 515 hours in all. Tuition is 100,000 won for each of stages 1 to 4, 70,000 won for stage 5 basic and 30,000 won for the advanced course; stage 0 is free. The stage tests, the mid-level test after stage 4, and both comprehensive evaluations all require 60 or more out of 100 to pass. If you score 85 or more on the placement test, you may sit the comprehensive evaluation for permanent residence directly, without taking classes, within two years of the result date.
Naturalisation asks for permanent residence first
General naturalisation (Nationality Act, Article 5) requires a continuous address in Korea for five years or more and holding a status that allows permanent residence. Serving out the years alone does not qualify you. Simplified naturalisation (Article 6) asks three years of someone whose father or mother was once a Korean national, or two years of continuous address while married to a Korean national, or one year where three years have passed since the marriage; in those cases the two requirements above are waived. Special naturalisation (Article 7) — for a person whose father or mother is a Korean national, a person of special merit, or a person of outstanding ability in a specific field — requires only an address, with no period at all.
Screening involves a comprehensive evaluation and an interview. The evaluation must be taken within one year of the application date, and anyone who has completed the integration programme is exempt from it. Nationality is acquired at the moment you take the oath of allegiance before the Minister of Justice and receive your naturalisation certificate, and you must renounce your original nationality within one year of that date. If you do not, you lose Korean nationality once that year has passed.
The shortest timeline
- A Korean master's degree (usually 2 years) → a job confirmed within 5 years of the degree date → F-2-7 (80 points) → 3 years → Permanent Residence (F-5)
- A doctorate from a Korean graduate school → eligible for Permanent Residence (F-5) with no period-of-stay requirement
- Naturalisation after permanent residence → five years of address in Korea plus permanent residence status, with the 515 hours of the integration programme somewhere along the way
Points tables and the requirements for permanent residence and naturalisation change by notice and guideline. This article reflects the laws and notices verified on 22 September 2026. Confirm the requirements that apply to you with HiKorea, your local immigration office, the Soci-Net portal (www.socinet.go.kr) and your university's international office.
Sources
- 국가법령정보센터 「출입국관리법」 (시행 2026. 1. 23.)
- 국가법령정보센터 「출입국관리법 시행령」 (시행 2026. 9. 15.)
- 국가법령정보센터 「출입국관리법 시행규칙」 (시행 2026. 9. 15.)
- 법무부고시 제2025-408호 「출입국관리법시행령 별표 1의2 중 24. 거주(F-2)자목에 해당하는 자의 연령, 학력, 소득 등에 관한 기준 고시」 (2025. 10. 24. 시행)
- 법무부 「사회통합프로그램 참여자 교육 수수료 고시」 (시행 2025. 1. 1.)
- 사회통합정보망(Soci-Net) 「과정 및 이수시간」
- 사회통합정보망(Soci-Net) 「기본소양평가」
- 국가법령정보센터 「국적법」 (시행 2022. 10. 1.)
- 국가법령정보센터 「국적법 시행령」 (시행 2022. 12. 20.)
- 국가법령정보센터 「국적법 시행규칙」 (시행 2024. 4. 29.)
Information on this page is current as of September 2026.