About this status of stay
Job Seeking (D-10) is the status of stay for people doing training or looking for work in fields covered by the statuses from Professor (E-1) to Specially Designated Activities (E-7), people preparing to start a technology business, and others (Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Act [출입국관리법 시행령], Appended Table 1-2). General job seekers (D-10-1) are reviewed with a points system that scores things like age, education and Korean language ability.
Job seeking includes short-term internships paid with a training allowance before formal employment, but regular employment is not allowed. Once you have a job, you must change to the status of stay that fits that job before you start working.
How a legal problem affects your stay
Because Job Seeking (D-10) is reviewed with a points system, fines and immigration fines directly affect your score. The period of stay for this status is short, so if a criminal case drags on, it can become hard to move on to the next step.
If you receive a fine or an immigration fine
The points system for general job seekers takes off points based on your total immigration fines for violating the Immigration Act (출입국관리법) and criminal fines in the 5 years before you apply. You are not eligible if, in the last 3 years, your stay permit was restricted because of an immigration fine or you received a fine of KRW 3 million or more (Ministry of Justice guidance manual [법무부 체류민원 자격별 안내 매뉴얼]). The points system is applied again when you extend your stay.
If you are sentenced to imprisonment
The ground for deportation ('a person sentenced to imprisonment without labor or a heavier sentence and released') can become an issue (Immigration Act Article 46(1)(13)). A suspended sentence is still a sentence of imprisonment (with or without labor), so the same problem can arise.
If you work without permission
D-10 is not a status that allows employment, so working without permission can be punished as a violation of the Immigration Act (Articles 18 and 94), and the resulting immigration fine lowers your score again in your next points review.
If you start work before changing your status
Even if you have a job offer, starting the new job before you receive permission to change your status of stay is a violation of Article 24 of the Immigration Act. Start working only after you receive permission.
Common problems with this visa
If you need part-time work
Among general job seekers (D-10-1), people such as those who received a degree from a Korean university less than 3 years ago and meet the Korean language requirement (completing level 4 or higher of the Social Integration Program, KIIP, or TOPIK level 4 or higher) can get permission for activities outside their status of stay and work part-time in set fields. Manufacturing work is allowed only for those who completed KIIP level 4 or higher (Ministry of Justice guidance manual).
When you extend your stay
To extend, you submit a job-seeking plan, proof of where you live, proof that you can cover your living costs and other documents, and you are scored again under the points system (Ministry of Justice guidance manual). Any fines or immigration fines you received in the meantime can change your score, so work it out in advance.
What happens to your stay, depending on the outcome of your case
Whatever your status of stay, the outcome of a criminal case leads to a review of your stay. Below is a summary based mainly on the standards set by law. The actual decision is made by the immigration office, which looks at what happened in your case together with your life in Korea.
- Case not referred to prosecutors, or suspended indictment
- These are not criminal penalties, so they do not count as 'imprisonment without labor or a heavier sentence', which is a ground for deportation. However, under the Act on the Lapse of Criminal Sentences (형의 실효 등에 관한 법률), a suspended indictment (기소유예, where prosecutors decide not to charge you) and some decisions not to refer a case to prosecutors (불송치) stay in investigation history records for a certain period, and these can be checked when needed for a foreigner's naturalization or stay permit (Article 6(1)(6) and Article 8-2). How long they stay depends on the legal penalty for the offense. Reviews that look at your conduct, such as for Residence (F-2) and Permanent Residency (F-5), also check this kind of case history.
- Fine (including a summary order)
- A fine does not count as 'imprisonment without labor or a heavier sentence', which is a ground for deportation. However, it counts against you in reviews for extending your stay, changing your status of stay, permanent residency and naturalization, and if the violation is serious your stay permit can be cancelled (Immigration Act Article 89(1)(5)). The Ministry of Justice review standards have many items that look at the amount of the fine and how much time has passed since you paid it. Under the Criminal Procedure Act (형사소송법), if you received a summary order (약식명령, an order that sets a fine without a trial), you can request a formal trial within 7 days of receiving it (Article 453).
- Suspended sentence of imprisonment
- A suspended sentence (집행유예) is still a sentence of imprisonment with or without labor, so the ground for deportation ('a person sentenced to imprisonment without labor or a heavier sentence and released', Immigration Act Article 46(1)(13)) can become an issue. The review standards for Residence (F-2), Permanent Residency (F-5), Overseas Korean (F-4) and other statuses treat even a suspended sentence as a disqualifying reason for a set period from the date the judgment becomes final.
- Prison sentence
- You can become subject to deportation when you are released after serving your sentence, and the prison warden must notify the immigration office about a foreigner whose release has been decided (Immigration Act Article 84(2)). Deportation proceedings can also go ahead while you are still serving your sentence (Article 85). If you leave Korea under a deportation order, you can be banned from entering Korea for 5 years after that (Article 11(1)(6)).
- Immigration Act violations (overstaying, working without permission, etc.)
- After an investigation by the immigration office, you may receive a notice to pay an immigration fine (범칙금, money paid in place of a criminal fine) or be reported for prosecution (Immigration Act Articles 102 and 105), and this can then lead to a departure order or deportation. A record of immigration fines also counts as a record of breaking the law in later reviews of your stay.
- Departure orders and deportation orders
- A departure order tells you to leave Korea on your own by a set deadline, and the deadline is set within 30 days from the date the order is issued (Immigration Act Article 68; Enforcement Rules Article 65). For a deportation order, you can file an objection with the Minister of Justice within 7 days of receiving the order (Article 60). Filing an administrative appeal or an administrative lawsuit does not stop the order from taking effect, so you also need to apply for a stay of execution.
Frequently asked questions
Can I work part-time on a Job Seeking (D-10) visa?
Not without permission. General job seekers and some others who graduated from a Korean university less than 3 years ago and meet the Korean language requirement can get permission for activities outside their status of stay and work part-time in set fields.
Can I do an internship?
The activities allowed for general job seekers (D-10-1) include short-term internships paid with a training allowance before formal employment. However, internships are restricted for technology start-up preparation (D-10-2), and doing what is really a regular job under the name of an internship can cause problems.
I got a fine. Can I still extend my stay?
The points system also applies when you extend, and points are taken off based on your total fines and immigration fines in the 5 years before you apply. If you received a fine of KRW 3 million or more in the last 3 years, you are not eligible, so if you received a summary order (an order that sets a fine without a trial), consider whether to request a formal trial within 7 days.
I got a job offer. Can I start working right away?
You must start only after you receive permission to change to the status of stay that fits the job (for example, Specially Designated Activities, E-7). Starting work before you have permission is a violation of the Immigration Act and also hurts your change-of-status review.
Get advice right away if
- You received a summary order (a fine) or a notice to pay an immigration fine and are worried about your points
- You were caught working without permission and were asked to come in
- Your extension of stay or your change to a work visa was refused
Related guides
Legal basis
- Immigration Act Articles 18, 20, 24, 46 and 94
- Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Act, Appended Table 1-2
- Ministry of Justice guidance manual on stay permits by visa type (Sept. 2026): Job Seeking (D-10)
This guide is based on the Immigration Act (출입국관리법) and its Enforcement Decree and Enforcement Rules in force as of October 2026, and on the Ministry of Justice guidance manual on stay permits by visa type (법무부 체류민원 자격별 안내 매뉴얼, Sept. 2026). Ministry of Justice review standards can change at any time.
This guide is for reference only. The immigration office decides whether you can stay by looking at what happened in your case together with your life in Korea, so the same decision can lead to different results depending on your situation.