What can and can't I do with an H-1 Working Holiday visa?

With H-1, you can do short-term work to pay for your travel costs. But you can't work in entertainment venues, in professional jobs, in Specific Activities (E-7) jobs, or give private tutoring. H-1 is a visa mainly for tourism. So you can't come only to work or only to study from the start.

What you can do

• You can work in any form, whether it is a contract job or a part-time job.
• You do not need separate permission to change your workplace or add another one.
• You can usually work up to 25 hours a week. Canadian citizens can work up to 40 hours a week.
• The period you can work is different for each country.
• Israel: 3 months
• Australia, Italy, Belgium: 6 months
• Denmark: 9 months
• Canada and other countries: the whole H-1 stay period
• You can also take classes at a private institute (hagwon) or study the language. The period you can study is 4 months for Australia. It is 6 months for Canada, Ireland, Denmark, Hong Kong, Austria, Israel, Belgium and New Zealand. For other countries, it is the whole stay period.

What you must not do

• Work as a hostess, dancer, singer, musician or acrobat in entertainment venues
• Professional jobs that need qualifications (doctor, lawyer, professor, airplane pilot, conversation instructor, etc.) and E-7 jobs
• Gambling businesses, karaoke bars and entertainment bars, and places where minors are not allowed to enter or be employed
• Private tutoring
• Study that falls under Study Abroad (D-2), such as a regular university course
• Teaching foreign languages to Koreans (for example, taking Korean classes at a private institute while also teaching conversation classes to Koreans)
• News reporting or political activities
• Working only, with no tourism, right after you enter Korea

⚠️ Be careful

To work in a professional job or an E-7 job, you must first get permission to change to the status that fits that job. But citizens of the UK, France, Ireland, Denmark, Chile, Italy, Israel and Belgium cannot make this change. If you work in a banned job without permission, you may be punished or have to leave Korea. If you plan to change to another status, try the K-VISA AI administrative agent consultation (visa service in the app).

Before you start a job, check once more whether it is allowed on HiKorea (hikorea.go.kr) or at the Foreigner Support Center (외국인종합안내센터) 1345.