What is an Overseas Korean?
The legal definition of an Overseas Korean is set forth in Article 2 of the Act on the Immigration and Legal Status of Overseas Koreans.
In this Act, an Overseas Korean refers to any person who falls under any of the following categories:
A citizen of the Republic of Korea who has acquired permanent residency in a foreign country or who resides abroad with the purpose of permanent residence (overseas nationals)
A person who previously held Korean nationality (including Koreans who emigrated overseas before the establishment of the Republic of Korea) or a direct descendant of such a person who has acquired foreign nationality, as prescribed by Presidential Decree (overseas Koreans)
The persons prescribed by Presidential Decree in Article 2, Paragraph 2 of the above Act are as follows:
Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Immigration and Legal Status of Overseas Koreans Article 3: Definition of Overseas Koreans
A person who previously held Korean nationality by birth (including Koreans who emigrated overseas before the establishment of the Republic of Korea) and has acquired foreign nationality.
A person who has acquired foreign nationality as a direct descendant of a person falling under subparagraph 1.
The term “overseas Koreans residing in Korea” is not a broad concept that includes citizens of the Republic of Korea, but rather a term referring to compatriots with foreign nationality.
Typically, foreigners residing in Korea must go through a process of changing their status of residence from D2 to D10 to E7 to F2 to F5 in order to obtain permanent residency. Of course, depending on an individual’s educational background and income level, it is possible to skip the D10, E7, and F2 stages. However, in cases where one follows the E7 and F2 stages, obtaining an F5 visa requires three consecutive years of residence under the E7 status and three consecutive years under the F2 status; since this also requires an income of more than twice the GNI, the reality is that obtaining it is very difficult. In contrast, overseas Koreans with foreign citizenship can apply for an F5 visa after residing for at least two years under the F4 status. This is truly an exceptional preferential benefit for ordinary foreigners, and since a similar benefit is only available to the spouse of a Korean national under the F-6-1 visa, it can be considered a very significant advantage. Furthermore, since the income requirement is based on GNI, they receive a substantial reduction in the amount compared to ordinary foreigners who are required to meet twice their GNI.
Recently, through the revision of the Guidelines for Overseas Koreans on February 12, 2026, the Ministry of Justice decided to reduce the income requirement by 70% or 80% for F4 holders with excellent Korean language skills or volunteer experience when changing their status to F-5-6. If both requirements of excellent Korean language skills and volunteer experience are met, a reduction of up to 60% is possible. However, since the benefit of excellent Korean language skills is granted only to those who have completed Level 5 of the Social Integration Program (passing the comprehensive evaluation for permanent residency or naturalization), we recommend registering for the Social Integration Program if you plan to change your status to permanent residency in the future.
As mentioned above, the category of excellent Korean language proficiency applies to those who have completed Level 5 of the Social Integration Program (passed the comprehensive evaluation for permanent residency or naturalization), graduated from both elementary and middle school in Korea, or obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher in Korea. In this case, the income requirement is recognized when 70% of the GNI is met.
If volunteer hours of 100 hours or more are confirmed over a period of 6 months or more by a certificate of performance issued by the Korea Central Volunteer Center (1365) (maximum volunteer hours of 6 hours per day), the income requirement is met when 80% of GNI is satisfied. If the above person with excellent Korean language skills also has volunteer performance records, the income requirement is met when 60% or more of GNI is satisfied.
T1 Translation & Administrative Agent Office is a registered agency with the Ministry of Justice handling immigration civil affairs. We assist overseas Koreans with the F-5-6 status change process, from document preparation to submission. Many overseas Koreans have already successfully obtained permanent residency through our services. Please contact us if you require agency assistance regarding the F-5-6 status change.