Who can use the K-STAR Visa Track?

The K-STAR Visa Track is open to people who have earned (or are about to earn) a master's or doctoral degree in a science and technology field at a participating university (32 schools) selected by the Minister of Justice. The first status on this track is K-STAR Residence (F-2-7S). There is no limit on the number of people per university.

You must meet one of these

• You are about to receive a master's degree from a selected university, or you received it within the last 1 year
• You are enrolled in or have completed a doctoral program at a selected university, or you received your doctorate within the last 1 year
• You received your doctorate from a selected university and are now doing science and technology research there as a postdoctoral researcher (Postdoc)

If you are in an integrated master's-doctoral program, you count if you have finished the master's-level coursework and are now in the doctoral stage.

You must also have good conduct

You may be disqualified in these cases:

• You received a prison sentence or heavier within the last 5 years (including a suspended sentence)
• You received a fine of 3,000,000 KRW or more within the last 3 years
• You submitted false documents when applying or within the last 3 years
• You have a reason to be banned from entering Korea

If an investigation or trial is ongoing, the review is not postponed until the result comes out. As a rule, a stay of up to 6 months is permitted.

💡 Good to know

The usual path is: international master's/doctoral student (D-2, etc.) → K-STAR Residence (F-2-7S) → K-STAR Permanent Residence (F-5-S1) or special naturalization for top talent. You can get the residence status first even if you have not found a job. It lasts up to 5 years. In step 1, you need to earn your degree and get a recommendation letter from the university president.

To check whether your school is a participating university, visit HiKorea (hikorea.go.kr) or call the Foreigner Comprehensive Information Center (외국인종합안내센터) at 1345.