D-2 and D-4 Part-Time Work in Korea: Hours, Allowed Jobs…

You found the job. Now comes the paperwork.

A café near campus wants you on Monday. Then your international office tells you that you can’t start until immigration approves it. You aren’t sure how long that takes or what to bring. You also don’t know if the café even counts as an allowed workplace. This guide covers the questions students on a D-2 (degree student) or D-4 (language trainee) visa usually get stuck on.

The rules come from the Immigration Act and the part-time work manual published by the Korea Immigration Service. They are strict, but they make sense once you see how they fit together.

Why your student visa alone won’t let you start that job

Your D-2 or D-4 visa covers study. It does not cover work. To take a paid part-time job, you need a separate approval called siganje chwieop heoga (part-time employment permit). You must get it before your first shift. The permit is tied to one specific employer, so a new job needs a new approval.

Korean law treats paid work outside your visa purpose as a separate activity. The relevant rule is Article 20 of the Immigration Act. You can read the English translation on MOLEG.

“A foreigner who intends to engage in activities falling under a status of sojourn other than his/her own status of sojourn, along with activities permitted by his/her status of sojourn, shall obtain permission therefor from the Minister of Justice in advance.” (Immigration Act, Article 20, MOLEG English translation)

The key word is in advance. A permit you apply for after you’ve started working does not cover the days you already worked.

Here’s what that means in practice:

• A training shift counts as work if you’re paid for it.
• “Helping out” at a friend’s restaurant for cash is work.
• Paid campus jobs, like a library or lab assistant role, also need the permit unless your school tells you in writing that the role is exempt.

Not everyone can apply right away, though. D-4 language students must have stayed in Korea for 6 months before they qualify. Degree students on D-2 also need to show decent grades and attendance. That brings us to the number everyone asks about first: hours.

How many hours can you actually work each week?

The weekly work hour limit depends on your course level and your Korean ability. Undergraduates generally get 20 hours a week during the semester. Graduate students get 30. Students at universities certified under IEQAS can get 5 extra hours. If you miss the Korean language requirement, your cap drops sharply.

The language requirement is measured by TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean) or by completed levels in KIIP (Korea Immigration and Integration Program). You can check TOPIK dates on TOPIK and KIIP levels on KIIP.

Here’s the good news for degree students. If you meet the language level, weekends, public holidays and official school vacations are generally not counted against your weekly cap. D-4 language trainees don’t get that exception. Their 20 hours apply across the whole week, vacations included.

But there’s a condition. Most schools also check your grades from the previous semester. The manual uses an average of C (2.0) or higher as the usual bar. Poor attendance can also block your application at the school stage.

Two more limits often surprise students:

• You can generally hold permits for up to two workplaces at the same time.
• Hours across both jobs are added together. Two 15-hour jobs is 30 hours, not 15.

Why does the IEQAS certification matter so much? IEQAS is the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Education quality program for schools that host international students. Your international office will know if your school is certified.

Hours are only half the story. The other half is where you work, and that’s where honest students get caught.

The job types that quietly get students in trouble

Permitted job types are mostly service and office roles: restaurants, cafés, convenience stores, retail, translation, interpretation, tour support and general admin work. Construction is off-limits. Manufacturing is heavily restricted. Adult entertainment venues and private tutoring are banned. If a job looks like it needs a professional license, assume it isn’t allowed.

The common thread is simple. Immigration wants student jobs to stay light, short and separate from industries that use full-time foreign workers on E-9 (Non-professional Employment) visas.

Jobs that usually pass review:

1. Serving or kitchen help in restaurants and cafés
2. Convenience store and retail counter work
3. Office assistance, data entry and reception
4. Interpretation and translation
5. Tour guide assistance and duty-free shop sales support

Jobs that usually get refused, or that get students penalized:

1. Construction sites, even for a single day
2. Factory or production-line work in most cases
3. Bars, clubs and any business classed as an entertainment establishment
4. Private one-on-one tutoring, including English lessons arranged through apps
5. Roles that need a Korean license or certificate, such as certain healthcare jobs

Here’s the catch. A job title can sound fine while the business type is not. A “server” job at a business registered as an entertainment venue is still a banned workplace. Immigration looks at the business registration certificate, not the job ad.

That’s also why that certificate is on the document list. And the document stage is where most applications slow down.

The document stage where most applications stall

Your part-time work permit application needs about seven items: the integrated application form, passport, ARC, the school’s part-time work confirmation form, a signed employment contract, the employer’s business registration certificate and proof of Korean ability. Missing just the school signature or the contract details is the most common reason for delays.

Required documents checklist

• Integrated Application Form (Form 34 under the Enforcement Rules of the Immigration Act)
• Passport and ARC (Alien Registration Card)
• Part-time Employment Confirmation form, signed by your school’s international student advisor
• Standard employment contract showing hourly wage, weekly hours, work days and workplace address
• Copy of the employer’s business registration certificate (saeopja deungnokjeung)
• TOPIK score report or KIIP completion record
• Certificate of enrollment and transcript, if your school asks for them

The confirmation form is the step that trips people up. Your school checks your grades, attendance and the job itself before signing. Some offices take several days. Plan for that.

How to apply, step by step

1. Get a written offer and a signed standard employment contract from the employer.
2. Ask the employer for a copy of their business registration certificate.
3. Submit both to your international student office and request the confirmation form.
4. Log in to HiKorea and use e-Application to file for permission to engage in activities outside your status. You can also book a visit to your local immigration office.
5. Upload or bring every document on the checklist above.
6. Wait for approval before your first shift. Check the result on HiKorea.

One tip saves a lot of back-and-forth. Make sure the hours in your contract match your cap. A contract that says 28 hours a week for an undergraduate will be sent back.

What about after approval? Your employer now has legal duties too. Most students never hear about them.

What your employer has to do, and why it protects you

Your employer must pay at least the legal minimum wage, which is 10,320 won per hour in 2026. They must follow the Labor Standards Act like they would for a Korean worker. Under the Immigration Act, they also have an employer report obligation: certain changes must be reported to immigration within 15 days.

The 2026 rate was set by the Minimum Wage Commission. It applies to you the same way it applies to Korean staff. Your visa status doesn’t change that.

A few labor rules worth knowing:

• If you work 15 hours or more a week, you’re generally owed a paid weekly holiday allowance (juhyu sudang).
• Your employer must give you a written contract. That’s also why you need one for the permit.
• Unpaid wages can be reported to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, even if you’re a student.

Now the reporting part. Article 19 of the Immigration Act requires employers of foreign workers to notify immigration within 15 days when certain things happen. Examples include:

1. The employee quits or is dismissed
2. The employee goes missing from work
3. Key contract terms change, such as the workplace

Why should you care? Because the record follows you. If your job ends and your employer never reports it, your file can still show you tied to that workplace. That makes your next part-time work permit application messier.

So when you quit, tell your employer in writing. Then tell your international office. If you start somewhere new, you need a new permit before the first shift there.

And if you skip all of this? That’s where the real cost shows up.

What happens if you work without a permit

Working without a permit, or beyond your hour limit, violates the Immigration Act. You can face a fine, a ban on future part-time permits, a denied visa extension or, in serious cases, a departure order. Employers who hire students without a valid permit also face penalties, so legitimate businesses will ask to see your approval.

The damage often shows up later, not right away. Immigration reviews your history when you:

• Extend your D-2 stay
• Change to a D-10 (job seeker) visa after graduation
• Apply for an E-7 (professional) work visa
• Apply for an F-2 (resident) visa through the points system

A violation from your second year can follow you into every one of those reviews. Officers have discretion. A past breach gives them a clear reason to say no.

Here’s what usually triggers trouble:

• Starting work “just for a week” while the application is pending
• Taking cash shifts at a second place that never got a permit
• Going over the weekly cap during exam season, when schedules shift
• Working at a construction site or factory through a friend’s contact

If you already made a mistake, don’t hide it. Talk to your international office first. Then contact the Immigration Contact Center at 1345 for guidance in your language.

The smarter move is to build your plan before you sign anything. Check your TOPIK level, confirm your school’s IEQAS status and count your hours across every job. Then file on HiKorea and wait for the approval message.

The permit takes a little time. A clean record keeps your next visa options open.