Quick answer
The E74 online apply route is a change of status from E-9, E-10 or H-2 to skilled worker status. The 2026 Ministry manual says applications are accepted year-round and that HiKorea e-application is the default. It is not accurate to describe the process as “100% online” for every applicant: in-person filing may be allowed exceptionally when the competent immigration office decides it is unavoidable.
Before uploading documents, check four things: qualifying stay history, a two-year E-7-4 contract with the current workplace, the current employer’s recommendation, and the required score.
Current 2026 K-point E-7-4 snapshot
| Item | Current Ministry rule reviewed August 30, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Total 2026 selection plan | 33,000 across company, ministry, metropolitan-government and flexible allocation tracks. |
| Application period | Year-round acceptance, subject to available quota and later notices. |
| Default channel | HiKorea e-application; exceptional in-person filing only when the competent office finds it unavoidable. |
| Application type | Change of status only. This is not a new visa-issuance route. |
| Stay granted | Up to two years at a time, within the employment-contract period. |
| Fee treatment | Ordinary change-of-status fee with the e-application reduction. Confirm the amount shown by HiKorea when paying. |
This is the single changeable-values module for this article. If a later Ministry notice changes quota, schedule, income or score rules, update this module and the matching sections below rather than creating a new URL.
How to apply online through HiKorea
- Check your assigned filing day. The 2026 plan uses the applicant’s birth-year last digit: Monday 1/6, Tuesday 2/7, Wednesday 3/8, Thursday 4/9 and Friday 5/0.
- Prepare the current document set. Make sure the contract, employer recommendation, income record and score evidence agree with one another.
- Sign in to HiKorea. Use the current e-application service for E-7-4 change of status. Menu wording may change, so use the current HiKorea notice rather than an old screenshot.
- Enter the application data and upload evidence. Do not upload a generic E-9 contract where the official E-7-4 contract is required.
- Pay the amount displayed by HiKorea. The Ministry manual applies the ordinary change-of-status fee with the electronic-filing reduction; it does not support a rounded “approximately KRW 100,000” instruction.
- Save the receipt and monitor requests for supplementation. A successful upload is not the same as approval.
Applicant eligibility: four core checks
1. Qualifying stay and current employment
You must be a currently registered foreign resident legally working at the current workplace and have at least four years of stay in E-9, E-10 or H-2 during the recent ten-year period. A separate non-capital-region recommendation exception may apply under the current plan.
2. Future E-7-4 contract
The contract with the current workplace must cover at least two future years after the change. The current general annual-salary line is KRW 26 million; the manual applies KRW 25 million to agriculture, livestock, fisheries and domestic coastal shipping. Confirm the live plan before signing because this is a changeable annual rule.
3. Current employer recommendation
The employer recommendation is mandatory. In general, the applicant must have worked at the current company for at least one year. Documented workplace changes caused by closure, abuse, unpaid wages or another reason not attributable to the worker may allow specified periods to be combined.
4. Points
The standard route requires at least 200 points including bonuses, with minimum scores in both recent average income and Korean ability. The 2026 temporary Korean-language exception is not a general 170-point route; it is a conditional route for an applicant who meets the other requirements and reaches the separate threshold stated in the current plan.
How the 2026 score works
The score combines recent average income, Korean ability and age, then adds permitted bonuses and subtracts penalties. The current manual requires:
- Recent two-year average income: at least KRW 25 million for the standard minimum income score; KRW 24 million for agriculture, livestock, fisheries and domestic coastal shipping.
- Korean ability: normally at least TOPIK level 2, KIIP level 2 completion or the corresponding KIIP placement result.
- Total: at least 200 points including bonuses under the standard route.
- Temporary language exception: where all non-language conditions are met, the manual allows a conditional 150-point route through December 31, 2026, with the Korean requirement to be completed by the first two-year extension. Read the consequences in the current plan before relying on it.
Do not calculate from an old image. Use the score table attached to the current Ministry plan because brackets and exceptions can change.
Employer checks
The workplace must currently employ at least one E-9, E-10 or H-2 worker under the existing skilled-worker scheme and must have no national or local tax delinquency. Employer recommendation and E-7-4 employment limits are calculated differently, so the company should check both the current employee roster and the applicable industry exception.
The employer recommendation is both a mandatory condition and a bonus item. A central-ministry or metropolitan-government recommendation is optional and follows its own allocation and residence commitments.
Document checklist
Core applicant documents
- integrated application form and passport biographical-page copy;
- official point self-assessment and personal statement;
- E-7-4 employment contract;
- National Tax Service income certificate for the relevant two years;
- Korean-language evidence when required for the selected proof route; and
- letter of guarantee with the employer as guarantor.
Core workplace documents
- business registration or applicable agricultural-business registration;
- national-tax and local-tax clearance certificates;
- four social-insurance workplace subscriber roster or the applicable substitute;
- employer recommendation and recommender’s identification copy; and
- industry-specific proof when construction, root industry, shipbuilding, agriculture or shipping rules apply.
Who can be excluded?
The current manual lists exclusion grounds including a criminal fine of KRW 3 million or more within the relevant period, unresolved tax delinquency, four or more Immigration Act violations, an illegal-stay history of at least three months, and public-safety or social-order concerns. Smaller fines and some immigration violations may still reduce the score.
Do not use the previous article’s “over KRW 1 million means automatic rejection” rule. The current plan separates disqualification from point deductions.
Frequently asked questions
Is E74 online apply available every day?
The plan is year-round, but the five-day system assigns weekdays by the last digit of your birth year. Quota availability and system notices still control whether filing is open.
Is the E-7-4 application always 100% online?
No. HiKorea e-application is the rule, while exceptional in-person reception may be allowed when the competent office considers it unavoidable.
Do I need a two-year contract or one-year contract?
The future E-7-4 contract must cover at least two years. The separate one-year period concerns how long you generally must have worked at the current employer for its recommendation.
Is 170 points enough with a recommendation?
The current standard is 200 points including bonuses. The temporary Korean-language exception has a separate conditional 150-point threshold; it is not a universal 170-point recommendation route.
How much is the online fee?
Use the amount displayed by HiKorea. The current manual says the ordinary change-of-status fee applies with the e-application reduction, so this guide does not maintain a rounded fee estimate.
Related guides
- E-7-4 K-point score table
- E-7 processing stages and fee source of truth
- How to register for KIIP
- E-7 visa complete guide
Disclaimer: This is general information, not individual legal advice. Immigration makes the final decision based on the current plan, quota, workplace, documents and applicant record.