Changing workplace on an E-9 visa

An E-9 worker whose contract ends has one month to file a workplace change at the Job Center, then three months to land a new employer, and must hold an immigration permit before working a single shift at the new company. This guide covers both offices, what each one needs, and the points where people lose their status.

I employ foreign workers in Chungcheong, and a workplace change is the procedure where the worker, the old employer and the new employer all have to move in the right order. Most trouble I have seen comes from treating the Job Center approval as the finish line. It is only the halfway point.

Who this applies to

This guide is for holders of the non-professional employment visa, E-9 (비전문취업 · bijeonmun chwieop), hired under the Employment Permit System (고용허가제 · goyong heogaje). The rules branch in several places:

• H-2 (visit and employment) holders are outside this procedure. Under the Foreign Workers Employment Act they can change workplace without the E-9 restrictions or an immigration permit. New H-2 visas stopped being issued on 12 February 2026, when the H-2 and F-4 categories were merged into F-4 (재외동포 · jaeoe dongpo). Existing H-2 holders are not converted automatically; ask 1345 how the merger affects your own stay.
• Initial three-year period vs. re-employment extension. The law caps changes at three during the first permitted employment period and two during the extended period granted on re-employment. Changes caused by the employer, such as closure or wage arrears, are generally not counted against the cap. Ask the Job Center for your current count before you plan anything.
• Region. Workers who entered Korea on or after 19 October 2023 can move only within the region where their first employment permit was issued: the capital area, Chungcheong, Gyeongnam, Gyeongbuk–Gangwon, or Jeolla–Jeju. Workers who entered before that date are not bound by the regional rule. Some industries, shipbuilding for example, are also restricted to the same industry.
• Pending reform. In April 2026 the government said it would relax the limits on reasons, number and region for E-9 workplace changes. Concrete rules had not been published when this page was checked. If you are reading this after September 2026, check whether the reform has taken effect.

What you need to bring

At the Job Center (step 1)

• Workplace change application form (사업장변경신청서 · saeopjang byeongyeong sincheongseo), available at the counter.
• A copy of your passport, but only if the officer cannot confirm your alien registration record (외국인등록사실증명 · oegugin deungnok sasil jeungmyeong) on the system.
• Documents proving the reason for the change, if the Job Center asks for them. For wage arrears, a wage arrears confirmation (체불임금 확인서 · chebul imgeum hwaginseo) from the labour office carries weight.

At the immigration office (step 3)

• Passport and alien registration card (외국인등록증 · oegugin deungnokjeung).
• Integrated application form (통합신청서 · tonghap sincheongseo, Form No. 34).
• Copies of the new employment permit (고용허가서 · goyong heogaseo) and the standard labour contract (표준근로계약서 · pyojun geullo gyeyakseo).
• Proof of residence (체류지 입증서류 · cheryuji ipjeung seoryu), such as a lease or a dormitory confirmation from the new employer.
• Some offices also ask for the new employer's business registration certificate (사업자등록증 · saeopja deungnokjeung). Bring a copy to be safe.
• The fee: 100,000 won. The Job Center application itself is free; the fee is charged only for the immigration permit.

Where to go

Note the difference in the third column. The Job Center is chosen by the workplace address; the immigration office by where you live. When a worker moves town for the new job, these can be two different cities.

Step by step

1. Pin down the end date and the reason. The one-month count starts the day the contract ends. Whether the reason is the worker's responsibility or not (외국인근로자의 책임이 아닌 사유 · chaegim-i anin sayu) decides whether it counts against the cap. Closure, dismissal for business reasons, contract violations, wage arrears and abusive treatment fall on the employer's side under the Ministry notice.
2. File at the Job Center within one month. Submit the application form. If injury, illness, pregnancy or childbirth stops you from filing, the count starts when that reason ends; the extension request (사업장 변경 신청기간 연장 · sincheong gigan yeonjang) is filed with a medical certificate or similar proof.
3. Find a new employer within three months of applying. The Job Center refers you to employers through the EPS system. The new employer receives an employment permit for you and you sign a standard labour contract.
4. Apply for the workplace change permit at immigration. Book a visit on HiKorea, or use HiKorea e-application once the Job Center has approved the change. On the e-application route, the employment permit and contract are pulled from the data the Job Center sends; proof of residence is uploaded as a scan. Either the worker or the new workplace's HiKorea account can file.
5. Start work only after the permit is granted. Working at the new company without the permit can lead to deportation, or up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won, under the Immigration Act.

For the employer being left

The outgoing employer files an employment change report (고용변동 신고 · goyong byeondong singo) with the Job Center within 15 days. Which day the 15 days count from is not the same for every report: some run from the date of the event, while employment insurance loss reports (고용보험 상실신고 · goyong boheom sangsil singo) are tied to the following month. File each one separately and ask the Job Center which date applies to yours. If the worker has stopped turning up, that is a separate report, and it should not be used to end a relationship that was really a contract ending.

Costs and timing

Where people get sent home

• Waiting to file. Workers sometimes wait to see whether the old employer will take them back, and the month runs out. Once the month has passed, there is no second window.
• Starting on Monday because the Job Center said yes. The immigration permit is a separate decision. A new employer keen to fill a shift is not a reason to start early.
• Looking in the wrong region. A worker who entered on or after 19 October 2023 with a first permit issued in Chungcheong cannot take an offer in the capital area, however good the offer. Check your entry date on your passport stamp or alien registration record before you start looking.
• E-application that will not load the contract. The online form pulls the employment permit and contract from the Job Center's data. If that data has not come through, the form cannot be completed; call the Job Center before booking a visit.
• Wrong office. Filing the change at a Job Center near the new home instead of the one covering the old workplace, or booking immigration near the new workplace instead of the residence.

FAQ