Moving From E-2 to F-2-7 or F-6 Doesn't Carry Your Old Paperwork With It
Changing from an E-2 to an F-series visa (F-2-7 points system, F-5 permanent residency, or F-6 marriage visa) requires a separate document set filed through your local immigration office, and your original E-2 apostilles, criminal check, and degree file do not automatically transfer.
Park English · 2026-09-03 · 3 min read
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Most teachers assume that once they've survived the E-2 gauntlet — apostille, criminal record check, degree verification, health form — the document chase is over for good. It isn't, if you ever move to an F-series visa. The immigration office treats a status change (체류자격변경허가) as a new application with its own file, and the fact that a diploma or background check already sits in your ARC record doesn't mean it counts twice.
This matters because F-2-7 (the points-based residency visa), F-5 (permanent residency), and F-6 (marriage to a Korean national) each pull from a different pile of paperwork than E-2 does, and teachers who assume "I already sent that" get bounced back at the counter.
What changes, and why
E-2 is employer-sponsored. Your school files the paperwork, your degree and criminal check prove you're a legitimate hire, and the whole thing resets every time you switch hagwons. F-series visas aren't tied to one employer, so immigration wants different proof: of income, of years in Korea, of Korean ability, or of the marriage itself.
| Visa | Common route | Extra document you'll likely need that E-2 never asked for |
|---|---|---|
| F-2-7 | Points system (education + income + Korean level + age) | 소득금액증명원 (income certificate) from the tax office, TOPIK score if claiming language points |
| F-5 | After F-2 for a set period, or other qualifying paths | Continuous residence proof, sometimes a Korean-issued criminal background check |
| F-6 | Marriage to a Korean national | Marriage certificate (translated), spouse's family register, sometimes a joint bank statement |
Confirm current point thresholds and income minimums with Hi-Korea or your immigration office before you plan around a number — they're revised most years and we don't want to hand you a stale figure.
The criminal check gets weirder here
For E-2 you sent a check from your home country, apostilled, usually valid three or six months. Once you're already living in Korea and applying for a status change, several offices will instead ask for a Korean-issued criminal background check (범죄경력회보서), obtainable from a local police station or the Supreme Prosecutors' Office site, rather than making you request a fresh FBI or equivalent check from overseas. Not every office asks for this the same way — call ahead, because Yangju, Seoul Immigration, and Busan have been known to want slightly different supporting documents for the same visa category.
Timing that actually bites people
Start the status change application at least two months before your current E-2 expires. If it lapses mid-process, you can end up needing to leave the country to sort it out, which nobody wants to do over a form.
- Confirm eligibility on Hi-Korea's points calculator (for F-2-7) or check your F-5/F-6 pathway.
- Gather the visa-specific documents above — do not assume anything from your E-2 file carries over.
- Book an appointment at your immigration office; walk-ins for status change are rarer now than they used to be.
- File at least eight weeks before your current visa expires.
- Ask explicitly whether you can keep working on your existing status while the application is pending — this varies by office and by caseworker, so get it confirmed rather than assumed.
If you're mid-contract and considering this move, tell your director before immigration does. A school finding out from a stamp in your passport, rather than from you, tends to go badly.