F-1-28 (Foreign Parent of a Naturalised Korean) Korea Visa Guide | 2026

1. What F-1-28 Is

F-1-28 is for the foreign-national parents and comparable family of someone who has NATURALISED as a Korean citizen. The manual does not set separate criteria for it — it directs that the rules for F-1-5, the family of a marriage migrant entering to support child-rearing, be applied to these cases.

2. Eligibility Checklist

• Meets current F-1-28 pathway criteria.
• Linkage records are complete and verifiable.
• Support/livelihood evidence is sufficient.
• Stay-purpose narrative is coherent with records.
• No unresolved compliance issues.

3. Criteria Summary

• Not points-based.
• Review is pathway-linkage and support-document driven.
• Consistency across family/support records is key.
• Weak linkage records are a frequent refusal reason.

4. Salary and Contract Rules

• Not salary-threshold screened.
• Support capacity matters more than employment salary records.
• Sponsor evidence should be internally consistent.
• Conflicting support records can delay/refuse decisions.

5. Employer and Workplace Change Rules

• Not employer-sponsored.
• Permitted activity scope is limited under F-1.
• Unauthorized work may affect future status filings.
• Maintain updated relationship/support documentation.

6. Required Documents

• Application form, passport, ARC (if applicable), photo, and fee proof.
• F-1-28 pathway linkage records.
• Support/livelihood and residence evidence.
• Principal-status records where pathway requires them.
• Additional office-requested documents.

7. Fees and Processing

• Fees follow current schedules.
• Processing depends on linkage verification depth.
• Supplements common with fragmented family records.
• Prepare updated records for renewal reviews.

8. Common Rejection Reasons

• Pathway criteria are not met.
• Linkage/support records are insufficient.
• Stay-purpose evidence is weak or inconsistent.
• Compliance issues remain unresolved.
• Core records cannot be verified.

9. FAQ