Mitra KoreaYou Left Your Company and Have No Place to Sleep: How to Find a Shelter and 3 Things You Must Do While You Stay There
If you leave the company dormitory, you can stay for a short time at a shelter for foreign workers. To find one, ask 1577-0071, 1345, or your local support center for foreign workers. While you stay there, you must: ① apply for a workplace change within 1 month ② report your new address within 15 days ③ get your unpaid wages and 퇴직금 (severance pay).
Quick summary
- When you quit your company, you often have to leave the dormitory too. If you have nowhere to go, you can stay for a short time at a foreign worker shelter. There is no single list for the whole country. In each area, local governments, civic groups, or religious groups run them. To find one, ask 1577-0071, 1345, or your local foreign worker support center.
- While you are at the shelter, you must do 3 things that have deadlines. ① Apply for a workplace change at the 고용센터 (Job Center) within 1 month from the day your contract ended. ② Your address has changed, so report the change of address within 15 days. ③ Check your wages and 퇴직금 (severance pay), which must be paid within 14 days from the day you left the job.
- A shelter is a temporary place to stay while you look for a job. If you work without permission while you stay at the shelter, it is illegal.
- If it is urgent, first ask about a place to sleep tonight at 1577-0071 (every day of the year, 09:00–18:00) or 1345. At night, use 112 or 119 only in an emergency.
When does this apply to you?
- Your boss said "Leave today," and you took your things out of the dormitory
- Your contract ended, you are looking for a job, and you have no place to stay
- You left the company in a hurry because of violence or unpaid wages
- You are getting treatment for a work injury (산재), and it is hard to stay in the company housing
- You do not have your 외국인등록증 (Alien Registration Card, ARC) yet, but you had to leave the company
How to find a shelter
Shelters have different names in each area (foreign worker shelter, migrant worker shelter, temporary housing at a foreigner welfare center, and others). Look for one in this order.
- Call 1577-0071 (외국인력상담센터, Foreign Workforce Counseling Center) and ask for "a shelter where I can stay in the area where I am now." Counseling in Nepali is available. Every day of the year, 09:00–18:00 (on Saturdays and public holidays, staff on duty).
- Also ask 1345 (외국인종합안내센터, Immigration Contact Center). Nepali is available on weekdays, 09:00–18:00.
- Call or visit your local foreign worker support center (외국인노동자지원센터) or foreigner welfare center (외국인복지센터). On the website of your city, county, or district office, search for "외국인노동자지원센터" or "외국인주민센터" to find the phone number. In 2026, 고용노동부 (Ministry of Employment and Labor) is still supporting local governments that run support facilities for foreign workers. Gyeonggi Province is supporting 7 groups that run shelters.
- Go to the 고용센터, and when you register as a job seeker, say "I have no place to stay." Sometimes the staff will give you information about local shelters.
- You can also ask the Nepali community, churches, or temples (Nepali restaurants, Nepali groups). But stay away from people who ask for a "shelter introduction fee."
Most shelters are free or cost a little. There is a limit on how long you can stay (a few days to a few weeks). When you go in, ask about the time limit and the rules.
3 things you must do while you are at the shelter
1. Apply for a workplace change within 1 month Within 1 month from the day your employment contract ended, apply for a workplace change (job seeker registration) at the 고용센터 that covers the area of the workplace where you worked. Even if the shelter is in a different area, the 고용센터 where you apply does not change. See Which Job Center do I apply to and How to change workplaces without the boss's "letter". When you apply, you get a 구직등록필증 (job seeker registration certificate), and you must find a new company within 3 months. See How to read the job seeker registration certificate.
2. Report your change of address within 15 days When the place where you live changes, you must report the change of address to the 출입국·외국인관서 (immigration office) or the city/county/district office within 15 days from the day it changed. First ask the shelter manager if you can report the shelter address. If you cannot, ask 1345 what to do. If you do not report it, you may get a fine (과태료), and you may have problems when you get your card reissued or in later steps. See Reissuing your ARC and reporting a change of address.
3. Get the money you are owed Within 14 days from the day you left the job, you must receive your remaining wages and your 퇴직금 (if you worked 1 year or more). If the money does not come, file a complaint for unpaid wages. See When you were not paid your wages and Calculating severance pay. Departure guarantee insurance (출국만기보험) is money you get when you go back to your home country, so it does not apply while you are looking for a job.
Steps: what to do in order if you have to leave in a hurry
- What to take: passport, 외국인등록증, 근로계약서 (employment contract), 급여명세서 (pay slip), bankbook and cards, phone charger, medicine, clothes. Also take photos of your documents.
- Keep a record before you leave: Get what your boss said ("leave") in a text message, or record it. "You told me to leave today. Is my employment contract end date ○ month ○ day?" This becomes proof that you are changing workplaces because of the boss's fault. See When your boss threatens to "report you as a runaway".
- A place to sleep tonight: Call 1577-0071 or 1345. If you cannot get through, stay one night at a Nepali friend's home nearby or at a cheap place (motel or guesthouse), and call again the next day.
- The next day: Go into the shelter → visit the 고용센터 (1-month deadline) → report your change of address (15-day deadline).
- While looking for a job: Get job referrals from the 고용센터. See Job Center referrals and how to choose a company. Do not take work introduced at the shelter to "make some quick money."
What to bring
- Passport, 외국인등록증 (if you do not have it, the application receipt)
- 근로계약서, 급여명세서, bank account history
- Text messages with your boss, recordings
- 구직등록필증 (after you get it from the 고용센터)
- Shelter address and the manager's contact number
Be careful
- Your deadlines do not stop because you are at a shelter. The 1 month, 15 days, and 3 months keep running. On the day you go into the shelter, write your deadlines on a calendar.
- Working while you are looking for a job is illegal. If you are caught working without permission, it will hurt your workplace change and your stay in Korea. See Second jobs and part-time work are illegal on E-9.
- Be careful of people at the shelter who offer you work and say "I will get you a visa." They are brokers.
- If you do not have your 외국인등록증 yet, check that you applied within 90 days of entering Korea. Ask immigration (출입국) if you can apply with the shelter address. See "It has been 3 months and I still don't have my ARC".
- If you are hurt or sick, the hospital and the work injury (산재) process come before the shelter. See Applying for work injury compensation.
- If the company has your passport, you must get it back. See Taking your passport or ARC is illegal.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Can I report the shelter address as my new address? A. First ask the shelter manager if they can give you a document that confirms you live there. If they can, report that address. If it is difficult, call 1345 and ask about other ways (a friend's home, etc.). The worst thing is to not report it at all.
Q. How long can I stay at the shelter? A. It is different for each shelter. Usually from a few days to a few weeks. It is hard to spend the whole 3-month job search period at a shelter. So get job referrals early, and make a plan to move into the dormitory of your next company.
Q. The shelter is in a different city. Can I look for a new company there? A. You must apply for a workplace change at the 고용센터 in the area of the company where you worked. But the area of your new company is decided by the rules on regions and industries. See Conditions for moving to a company in another area and check with the 고용센터.
Q. The shelter is asking me to pay to get in. A. Some places charge a small amount for actual costs (such as food). But if they ask for an "introduction fee" or a "deposit," ask 1577-0071 first and then decide.
Where to get help
| Organization | Phone | What they help with |
|---|---|---|
| 외국인력상담센터 (Foreign Workforce Counseling Center) | 1577-0071 | Shelter information, job search counseling, many languages including Nepali, 3-way calls, every day of the year 09:00–18:00 (on Saturdays and public holidays, staff on duty) |
| 외국인종합안내센터 (Immigration Contact Center) | 1345 | Change of address report, ARC problems, Nepali on weekdays 09:00–18:00 |
| 고용노동부 고객상담센터 (Ministry of Employment and Labor Call Center) | 1350 | Workplace change applications, unpaid wages |
| Local 외국인노동자지원센터 / 외국인복지센터 (foreign worker support center / foreigner welfare center) | Search on the city/county/district office website | Shelter, interpretation, daily life counseling |
| 다누리콜센터 (Danuri Call Center) | 1577-1366 | Daily life counseling in many languages |