Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Hong Kong

Korea/Hong Kong Working Holiday Program(Since 01.Jan.2011)

Purpose

This Programme allows Korean nationals and Hong Kong residents to enter the other jurisdiction primarily to holiday for an extended period of time and engage in employment as an incidental aspect of their holidays.

Working Holiday Visa (H-1)

Working Holiday Visas are multiple entry visas and are valid for a period of 3(three) months from the date of issue. The maximum stay permitted on the basis of a Working Holiday Visa will be 12 months from the date of entry into Korea, without the possibility of extension.

Working Holiday Visas will be issued for up to 1000 Hong Kong residents each year(Since 01.Jan.2016).

Working Holiday Visa holders may register in 1(one) training or study course, in particular Korea language course, for a period of up to 6 months, during their visit to Korea.

The primary purpose of Working Holiday Visas is for individuals to holiday in the respective countries, with employment being an incidental rather than the primary reason for a visit. Therefore, Working Holiday Visas are not appropriate for those wishing to enter Korea to engage in full-time employment. Especially, individuals who wish to work as English instructors must change their visa status into E-2 visa.

Eligibility

To be eligible to take part in the Working holiday Program, applicants:

• ① should be ordinarily resident in the HKSAR and also residing in the HKSAR at the time that they apply for a working holiday visa;
• ② should intend primarily to holiday in Korea for a period of up to one year from the date of first entry;
• ③ should be aged between eighteen (18) and thirty (30) years (both inclusive) at the time that they apply for a working holiday visa;
• ④ may not be accompanied by dependants;
• ⑤ should possess a valid HKSAR or BNO (British National Overseas) passport;
• ⑥ should possess a return travel ticket or sufficient funds to purchase such a ticket;
• ⑦ should possess reasonable funds to guarantee their upkeep during the initial period of their stay in Korea;
• ⑧ should be in good health and have no criminal record; and
• ⑨ should have adequate travel and medical insurance with all coverage for the length of stay in Korea

Application

All applicants should submit the following documents with the visa application:

• ① Valid passport (with over 6 months’ validity)
• ② Completed visa application form with photo attached (3.5 x 4.5 cm)
• ③ Personal financial status proof on the name of the applicant.
  • Please prove this by bank book or bank statement
  • with the latest 3 months’ transaction records, which maintaining
  • HK$25,000 (equivalent to US$3,000) throughout the last 3 months.
• ④ A personal schedule or travel plan during your stay in Korea.
• ⑤ Round trip flight ticket.
• ⑥ Travel and medical insurance with overall coverage.

Ineligibility for Working Holiday(H-1) Visa

Individuals of the WHP cannot engage in the following job categories that are against the spirit of the WHP agreement or national laws:

• Adult entertainment-related businesses
• Dancer, singer, musician or acrobat
• Requiring specific licenses or skills, such as in the field of medical practices, lawyer, professor, pilot, etc.
• Foreign language instruction (if an individual desires to work as a foreign language instructor after his/her arrival in Korea under WHP, the individual will be required to change the visa status to E-2)
• Related to journalism, religion, academic research, or instruction of engineering-related technical skills.
• Those who desire to take training or educational course in pursuit of an academic degree other than a Korean language training course will be required to apply for a student visa (D-2).
• Those whose main objectives for coming to Korea are not travel, but solely to seek employment, will be ineligible to participate in WHP.

[Note for application]

• Applicant may be asked to provide additional documents if it is deemed necessary to review the visa application.
• It takes 2 weeks for first stage approval.
• For more information, please visit the following websites:
  • https://www.hikorea.go.kr/Main.pt, http://overseas.mofa.go.kr/hk-en/index.do, https://www.visa.go.kr/