D-2 Student Visa Rules in Korea — School Changes, Grade Requirements & Work Rights

D-2 covers all degree-seeking study at Korean universities and colleges: • D-2-1: Junior college (2-year program) • D-2-2: Bachelor's degree (4-year university) • D-2-3: Master's degree • D-2-4: Doctoral degree • D-2-5: Research student (연구생) — research without full enrollment in a degree program • D-2-6: Exchange student (교환학생) — enrolled at a foreign university but attending a Korean partner university • D-2-7: Industrial university student (산업대학교)

The subtype affects your stay duration and which activities are permitted. Exchange students (D-2-6) are typically issued for one semester at a time.

Unlike many countries, Korea's D-2 visa does not freely allow school transfers. The rules are:

• Changing to a higher level program (e.g. bachelor's → master's): Allowed with a new admission letter. Apply for a status change or reissuance. • Changing to the same level (e.g. one bachelor's program to another): Generally requires immigration approval. You must inform immigration and obtain permission — simply re-enrolling at a new school is not sufficient. • Downgrading (e.g. master's → bachelor's): NOT permitted. This would require returning to your home country and applying for a new D-2 visa. • Transferring within the same university: Usually administrative, but notify immigration if your student ID number changes.

If you change schools without immigration approval, you risk being in illegal status.

Korea's immigration rules link your visa to your academic performance:

• Attendance: You must maintain minimum attendance as required by your university (usually 80%+). Excessive absences are reported to immigration. • Grade requirements: Receiving a 'D' average or below in consecutive semesters can trigger a flag in the immigration system. Repeated academic failure may result in your extension being refused. • Leave of absence (휴학): Taking a leave of absence is allowed but must be reported to immigration. You can remain in Korea on D-2 during a leave of absence for a limited period (usually 1 year total). Extended leaves may require changing to a different visa status. • Graduation delay: If you are extending your studies beyond the normal program length, you must apply for a D-2 extension with proof of continued enrollment and academic progress.

D-2 students CAN work part-time in Korea, but only with specific authorization:

• During the semester: With a part-time work permit (시간제취업허가), up to 25 hours per week on weekdays for associate-degree and bachelor's students and 30 hours for master's and doctoral students, provided you meet the Korean-language standard for your course (TOPIK Level 3 for associate-degree and 1st–2nd-year bachelor's students; Level 4 for 3rd–4th-year bachelor's and graduate students; or the KIIP/Sejong equivalents). If you do not meet it, the limit is 10 hours per week (15 for graduate students) • Weekends, public holidays and official vacation: No hourly cap if you meet the Korean-language standard and hold the permit; if you do not, the 10-hour (graduate: 15-hour) weekly limit still applies • Work authorization: Apply at the immigration office with your student ID, enrollment certificate, and ARC. A permit is granted for up to 1 year at a time within your period of stay, for no more than 2 workplaces at once.

Prohibited work for D-2 students: • Adult entertainment or venues • Certain service roles that could be considered exploitative • Work for employers not named in your authorization (if the authorization specifies a particular employer)

Working beyond your permitted hours during the semester or working without authorization is an immigration violation and can result in D-2 visa revocation.

After graduation, D-2 holders have several paths:

• D-2 → D-10 (Job Seeker): The most common post-graduation step. Apply for D-10 after receiving your graduation confirmation. A graduate of a Korean university changing to D-10-1 for the first time is granted 1 year; extensions after that are assessed under the D-10 points system, and the overall ceiling is 1 to 3 years depending on your category. • D-2 → E-7 (Specialist): If you already have a job offer, apply directly for E-7 in-country without needing D-10 as an intermediate step. • D-2 → E-1 (Professor): If your degree is a PhD and you receive a university position.

Korean university graduates receive bonus K-Points for F-2-7 (points-based residency) — a bachelor's degree from a Korean university adds 5 bonus points to your K-Point score, a master's 7 and a doctorate 10 (only the highest counts). Higher bonuses of 15, 20 and 30 apply to degrees from universities in the QS top 500 or THE top 200.