Working Holiday (H1)

Scope of activity

An H-1 visa is required if a person wants to tour as main purpose and work for a short time to cover the tour expenses. An H-1 visa is limited to citizens of countries that have signed an agreement with Korea.

• Australia
• Canada
• New Zealand
• Japan
• United States
• France
• Germany
• Ireland
• Sweden
• Denmark
• Hong Kong
• Taiwan
• Czech Republic
• Italy
• United Kingdom
• Austria
• Hungary
• Israel
• Netherlands
• Portugal
• Belgium
• Chile
• Poland
• Spain
• Argentina
• Andora

The type of visa (single or multiple), period of validity and period of stay are subject to national agreements.

• Japan: Single entry visa / Valid for 1 year / Stay for 1 year
• United States: Multiple entry visa / 18 months / 18 months
• Canada, United Kingdom: Mutiple entry visa / 2 years / 2 years
• Hong Kong: Multiple entry visa / 3 months / 3 months
• Others: Multiple entry visa / 1 year / 1 year

 

Requirements

For visa issuance, all the following requirements should be met:

• You must be a citizen of the country that has signed an agreement with Korea.
• You must have a valid passport of your country, and the remaining validity of the passport is at least 6 months at the time of visa application.
• You must be between the ages of 18 and 30 (inclusive) at the time of visa application.
• There is no age limit for Americans. You must be college / junior college student or within 1 year after graduation.
• Taiwanese, Portuguese, Irish and Argentinian must be between the age of 18 and 34 years (inclusive).
• British and Canadian must be between the age of 18 and 35 years (inclusive).
• You must have no serious criminal record.
• You must be healthy.
• You must subscribe to health insurance that remains valid throughout your stay in Korea.
• You must not accompany dependents.
• You must have no experience participating in working holiday programs. It means that you must not have entered Korea as an H-1 visa holder before.
• However, American, Irish, and Swedish can reapply.
• You must have financial capability, such as accommodation expenses.
• Tourism must be the main purpose: Full time employment, study, or political activities are restricted.

The requirements maybe different slightly in each country.

Visa issuance

You can apply for visa issuance without a visa issuance certificate at the competent Korean embassy or consulate in your country.

• Austrian nationals can apply at the Korean embassy in Japan, the Korean embassy in China, the Korean consulate in Shanghai, the Korean consulate in Hong Kong, or the Korean representative in Taipei.

The quota of H-1 visas varies by country. Please contact the competent Korean embassy or consulate in your country for the exact quota available.

• Australia unlimited
• Canada 12,000
• New Zealand 3,000
• Japan 10,000
• US 2,000
• France 2,000
• Germany unlimited
• Ireland 800
• Sweden unlimited
• Denmark unlimited
• Hong Kong 1,000
• Taiwan 800
• Czech Republic 300
• Italy 500
• UK 5,000
• Austria 300
• Hungary 100
• Israel 200
• Netherlands 200
• Portugal 200
• Belgium 200
• Chile 100
• Poland 200
• Spain 1,000
• Argentina 200
• Andora 50

 

Other application

Permission for activities not covered by status of stay

The scope of activities not covered by status of stay is subject to the agreement of each country.

 

Permission to add and change workplace

You may engage in employment activities without permission.

 

Permission to change status of stay

You cannot change from another status of stay to H-1 visa status.

In principle, you cannot change to a different status of stay. However, if you meet the requirements for E-1 ~ E-7 status of stay, you can get permission to change with exceptions.

 

Permission to extend the period of stay

You can apply for an extension permit within 1 year from the date of entry. However, 18 months for an American and 2 years for a British and Canadian.