Korea’s Golden Visa Residency & Citizen Immigration Program

Korea’s Golden Visa Program is a resident visa program intended to grant temporary permanent residency (F-2 Visa), permanent residency (F-5 visa), and even citizenship to those with funds to invest in the Republic of Korea. This Golden Visa in Korea grants the spouse and unmarried children the same rights as the applicant including the right to work and reside in the Republic of Korea with few restrictions that are different than a local Korean national. Those on these visas receive access to the Korean healthcare system and other government benefits.

While, the Republic of Korea does not have a specific Citizen by Investment Program, the present Korean Golden Visa program may lead to citizenship (Korean passport) after a qualifying period and meeting of, among other things, financial and testing requirements.

The majority of information found on the internet related to this Korean Golden Visa (also called the Immigrant Investor Scheme for Public Business) and other Korean visas is incorrect or outdated. Much of the information is merely clickbait. The information provided by the Korean Immigration Service is outdated.

In all but the most exceptional of cases, an investment of a minimum of KRW 1.0 billion into qualified real estate or a Korean government fund is required to receive a resident visa (F-2 temporary resident visa) and KRW 1.5 billion to receive an immediate permanent resident visa (F-5 permanent residency visa) in Korea under this scheme. However, in many cases other investment avenues are available depending on your specific circumstances, risk tolerance, wish to run a business in Korea, and financial resources.

Please note you should not hire a broker living outside of Korea to process your application. In many cases, these “agents” are brokering with agents (not lawyers) in Korea and they are doing nothing more than filing our applications without the nuance and experience necessary to garner a positive response from Korean Immigration. We know of too many horror stories.

It is essential, because of realities within the Korean Immigration Service and the difficulty in getting a determination of the Korean Immigration Service overturned, to hire an experienced Korean Immigration Attorney to handle the investment and, also, the Korea visa application for you and your family.

You may schedule a call with an IPG Legal attorney at: Schedule a Call with a Korean Immigration Lawyer.