If Your Boss Refuses to Recommend You for E-7-4, There Are Other Legal Ways

Who is this for

• People who stayed in Korea for 4 years or more in the last 10 years with E-9, E-10, or H-2, and who have worked at their current company for 1 year or more
• People who have enough points, but whose boss said "I don't give recommendations" or "I don't know about that"
• People who changed companies less than 1 year ago and cannot get a recommendation yet

The full requirements and points table are in E-7-4 requirements and points system.

The 3 types of recommendation (based on the 2026 selection plan)

Recommendation	Required?	Bonus points	Who gives it?
Employer (company) recommendation	Required	50 points	Only the CEO (owner) of the company where you have worked for 1 year or more
Central ministry recommendation	Optional	30 points	6 ministries, such as 고용노동부 (Ministry of Employment and Labor), choose from people who have a company recommendation
Provincial government recommendation	Optional	30 points	Those of the 17 provinces and metropolitan cities that give recommendations choose from people who have a company recommendation and have worked for 1 year or more at a company in that province or city

• Even if you get both a central ministry recommendation and a provincial government recommendation, only one counts. For these two recommendations, the government office sends the list of names to 법무부 by official letter. You only mark it on your self-assessment form.
• If you get a provincial government recommendation, after you change to E-7-4 you must keep your address in that province or city for 2 years or more.
• Special rule for areas outside the capital region: If you stayed in Korea for 3 years or more in an area that is not Seoul, Gyeonggi, or Incheon, and you get a provincial government recommendation, you are treated as meeting the 4-year requirement. In this case, you must work and live there for 3 years. This special rule also needs a company recommendation.

Steps: how to ask your boss

1. First check your own requirements. Check that you stayed 4 years in Korea and worked 1 year at your current company. Then add the 50 points for the company recommendation and calculate whether your total is 200 points or more (with at least 50 points each for income and Korean language). If you do not have a Korean language score, see the grace period in "Be careful" below.
2. Show your boss on one sheet of paper what the company must do. This is the recommendation letter (with the CEO's signature and a copy of the CEO's ID), an E-7-4 employment contract for 2 years or more, a 신원보증서 (letter of guarantee), and company documents. The full list is in "What to prepare" below.
3. Explain the salary condition exactly. The annual salary must be 26,000,000 won or more. This amount is the total pay, including base pay and all allowances. The 2026 minimum wage of 2,156,880 won per month × 12 months is 25,882,560 won. For agriculture/livestock and fishery/coastal shipping, the standard is a little lower. The September 2026 manual of 법무부 says 25,890,000 won or more. The March 2026 selection plan said 25,000,000 won or more. If the contract is for 25,890,000 won or more, it meets both standards. Check the exact standard with 1345.
4. Check the company's limit.
   • The company can only recommend within its E-7-4 hiring limit. The limits are below (September 2026 manual of 법무부).
   • E-7-4 workers can be up to 30% of the number of Korean employees. In depopulation areas, root industries (basic manufacturing industries), and agriculture/livestock/fishery, the limit is 50%. Numbers after the decimal point are rounded up.
   • It is OK if the calculated number is small. A company that now hires E-9 or E-10 workers can hire at least 1 E-7-4 worker. In depopulation areas, root industries, and agriculture/livestock/fishery, it is at least 2.
   • For construction, the limit is 0.4 people per 100,000,000 won of the construction capability rating (or yearly average construction amount). Numbers after the decimal point are rounded up.
   • If a company hires both E-7-4 and E-7-4R workers, the calculation may be different. The company should check with 1345.
   • A company that has not paid national or local taxes cannot recommend.
5. Explain exactly the things your boss is worried about.
   • The company becomes your guarantor (the person who takes responsibility for you). The 신원보증서 says the company makes sure you follow the law, and pays for your trip home and costs during your stay or detention.
   • A company loses the right to recommend for human rights violations, such as unpaid wages or violence, and for hiring foreigners illegally. In that case, it cannot recommend anyone for 5 years.
   • The E-9 work period is 3 years after entry. If you are re-employed, it can be extended once for less than 2 years. E-7-4 can be extended for up to 2 years at a time.
6. Ask why they say no. Reasons like "you have not worked 1 year yet" or "our recommendation limit is full" can change with time.

Other ways if your boss says no

1. Keep collecting points. Korean language and driver's license points stay the same even if you change companies. Bonus points for certificates count only for Korean certificates related to the job you are doing on the day you apply. E-7-4 has a yearly quota (33,000 people in 2026). In 2026, applications are accepted at any time until the quota is full, and your application day of the week depends on the last digit of your birth year. Check the selection plan for the year you apply in the notices on 하이코리아 (HiKorea, the government immigration website).
2. You can legally move to a new company when your contract ends. If your boss refuses to renew your contract, or if there is a reason that is not your fault, such as business shutdown, closure, or unpaid wages, you can apply to 고용센터 (Employment Center) to change your workplace. You must apply within 1 month from the contract end date, and get workplace change permission within 3 months from the application date. If you miss these two deadlines, you will have to leave Korea.
3. At a new company, the rule is 1 year. But if you prove that you moved for a reason that was not your fault, such as business shutdown or closure, verbal abuse, violence, or unpaid wages, your time at your previous company can be added. How to calculate this and what proof you need are in E-7-4 after changing companies.
4. Ask before you choose a new company. At the job interview, you can ask, "Can you recommend me for E-7-4 after 1 year?"
5. If you are in a depopulation area, look into E-7-4R. Region-Specific Skilled Worker (E-7-4R) is for people who stayed in Korea for 2 years or more in the last 10 years with E-9, E-10, or H-2 (September 2026 manual of 법무부). If you stayed with E-7-4R or F-3-3R in the last 5 years, you cannot apply.
   • You need both a recommendation from the head of the provincial government (governor or mayor) in charge of the recommended area and a recommendation from the employer. The province or city recommendation letter can be used for only one application, within 3 months from the issue date.
   • The recommended areas are depopulation areas and depopulation watch areas (areas at risk of population decline). You must live and work in that area for 3 years or more.
   • The rule is a recommendation from the company where you have worked for 1 year or more. But if you apply while changing your workplace to a company in a depopulation area, the recommendation from the company where you will work is used instead. The September 2026 manual says people who now work at a company in another area (including depopulation watch areas) can also apply while changing to a company in a depopulation area. E-9, E-10, and H-2 holders who are looking for work can also apply if they will work at a company in a depopulation area. If you apply while changing your workplace, you must start work at the new company within 3 months from the application date. Before you apply, check with 1345 or the 출입국·외국인관서 (Immigration Office) in charge of your area about when and how to end your contract with your current company. If you leave your company without telling them before you get permission, they may report you as having run away from work (이탈 신고).
   • Points are checked with a 300-point table similar to E-7-4 (200 points or more, with at least 50 points each for income and Korean language).
   • Ask the province or city office about this year's recruitment and how to apply. Some province and city notices are in the 하이코리아 notice "광역지방정부별 지역특화형 우수인재(F-2-R) 비자 등 추천 대상자 모집 공고 링크 모음" (collection of links to recruitment notices for recommendation candidates for F-2-R and other visas by provincial government). For details, see Region-specific visas.

What to prepare

What the company prepares

• Employer recommendation letter (법무부 form) and a copy of the ID of the CEO who gives the recommendation
• Copy of the business registration certificate (for agriculture, the farm business registration document)
• National tax payment certificate and local tax payment certificate
• List of workers registered for the 4 major social insurances at the workplace (for agriculture, add the farm business registration; for construction, add proof of construction amounts). The document list can change, so check the latest list on 하이코리아.

What you prepare

• Integrated application form, copy of passport, photo
• Points system self-assessment form, personal statement
• E-7-4 employment contract (2 years or more, with the salary condition written in it)
• 소득금액증명원 (income certificate) issued by the tax office (last 2 years)
• TOPIK score report (not needed if you prove your Korean through completing the Korea Immigration and Integration Program (사회통합프로그램) or its pre-test)
• 신원보증서 (letter of guarantee; the employer is the guarantor)

Be careful

• Do not trust people who say they sell recommendation letters. Only the CEO of the company where you now work can give a company recommendation. Ministries and local governments send their recommendations directly to 법무부. If a recommendation is given unfairly for money or gifts, the person who recommends, the company, and you can all be penalized, and there can be criminal punishment.
• A refusal to recommend alone is usually not a reason to change workplaces. The reasons set by law are contract termination or refusal to renew, business shutdown or closure, violation of working conditions, unfair treatment, and so on. If you leave the company without telling them and stop answering, the company can file an employment change report (이탈 신고, a report that you ran away from work), and you may become an undocumented (illegal) resident. If you were an illegal resident for 3 months or more in the last 10 years, you cannot apply for E-7-4.
• Get advice before you sign a resignation letter. If you sign a paper like "leaving for personal reasons," it may be hard later to prove that you left for a reason that was not your fault. Check with 1350 or 고용센터 first. If you do not work for many months while you look for a new company, your average income points may go down.
• Calculate how much time you have left. When you apply, you must be working legally at your current company. First check the stay period and the work period end date on your 외국인등록증 (Alien Registration Card).
• The Korean language grace period lasts until December 31, 2026. If your points without Korean language are 150 or more (with 50 or more for income), you can apply on the condition that you improve your Korean by your first extension (2 years). The 50 points for the company recommendation count in this score, so if you want to use the grace period, it is good to talk about the recommendation soon.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Can I apply for E-7-4 with only a provincial government recommendation and no company recommendation? A. Not for the regular E-7-4. The provincial government recommendation is an extra recommendation given to people who already have a company recommendation. E-7-4R also needs an employer recommendation. But if you apply while changing your workplace to a company in a depopulation area, the recommendation from the company where you will work is used instead. Before you apply, check with 1345 about how to end your contract with your current company.

Q. My boss says, "If I recommend you, the company will lose out." A. The company's responsibilities are a contract of 2 years or more, an annual salary of 26,000,000 won or more, the guarantee, and submitting company documents. For agriculture/livestock and fishery/coastal shipping, the salary standard is a little lower (see "Steps" No. 3 above). The 신원보증서 form is in the attached files of the selection plan on 하이코리아, so the company can look at it directly.

Q. My boss says, "I will recommend you after 1 year." But my work period ends before then. A. For E-7-4, you must be working legally at your current company when you apply. First, check whether your boss will apply for re-employment. The re-employment application period is in When your boss refuses to re-employ you.

Where to get help

Organization	Contact	What they help with
외국인종합안내센터 (Immigration Contact Center)	1345 (weekdays 09:00~22:00; after 18:00, only Korean, English, and Chinese)	Questions about E-7-4 and E-7-4R requirements, recommendations, and special rules
하이코리아	hikorea.go.kr	Selection plan notices, online applications
출입국·외국인관서 in charge of your area	Book a visit on 하이코리아	Proof documents, change of visa status
외국인력상담센터 (Foreign Workforce Counseling Center)	1577-0071 (365 days, 09:00~18:00)	Advice on changing workplaces
고용노동부 Customer Counseling Center	1350	Reasons for changing workplaces, unpaid wages
고용센터	The one in charge of the address of the workplace where you worked (Which Employment Center)	Workplace change applications
Foreigner affairs department of the province or city office (시·도청)	Depends on the region	Provincial government recommendations, E-7-4R recruitment