South Korea visa rules: Student visa (GKS scholarship) and EPS (E-9): factory, farming, fishing and construction work
What the government of South Korea actually requires, in plain language, with links to the official pages. We are not an agency and can't get you a visa.
Route 1: Student visa (GKS scholarship)
Processing time: Varies
- Covers tuition, airfare, stipend and a year of Korean
- Graduate round usually February–March
- Undergraduate round usually September–October
- Apply via the Korean embassy or one university
Route 2: EPS (E-9): factory, farming, fishing and construction work
Processing time: Months to over a year
- Government-to-government scheme with 17 partner countries only: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Uzbekistan and Vietnam
- No African country is in this scheme. If someone offers you a Korean factory job, it is not real
- Eligible nationals apply through their own government EPS centre and take the EPS-TOPIK test
- Nobody may charge you a placement fee. The 2026 quota is 80,000 places
Figures checked Sep 2026. Rules change often, so confirm on the official site before you act. This is general information, not legal or immigration advice.
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