Freshness tracker · KRSouth Korea

E-7 visa quota system reformed for designated industries

In force Visa & immigration

The E-7-4 (skilled-trade workers in designated industries) quota system was reformed from April 2024, with significantly expanded annual limits for shipbuilding, manufacturing, and certain construction-adjacent roles experiencing structural domestic-labour shortages. Designed to address the demographic-decline-driven labour gap.

Who it affects

Manufacturing, shipbuilding, and skilled-trade employers; their non-Korean hires.

Sources

Primary: Korea Ministry of Justice ↗

Corroborating: Hi Korea — Korea Immigration Service ↗

Verified 2026-04-19 · methodology · report a correction