F-6-2 Income Requirement: What Immigration Really Checks

One number. That’s what most people search for.

You’re raising a child in Korea, your F-6 stay is about to run out, and every forum thread quotes a different income figure. Some are years old. Some are for a different visa. A few are just wrong.

This guide separates the income rule that belongs to F-6-1 from what immigration actually checks for F-6-2. Then it covers what to bring when your own numbers look thin.

Is there really an F-6-2 income requirement?

Not in the way most people think. The published income threshold screens the Korean spouse who invites a foreign spouse on an F-6-1 marriage visa. F-6-2 is for a foreign parent raising a minor child of a Korean national in Korea. Officers focus on the child, custody, and real day-to-day care. They can still ask how you support your household.

The F-6 visa has three sub-types under the Immigration Act and its Enforcement Decree. You can read the English statutes on MOLEG.

• F-6-1 (spouse of a Korean national): you’re legally married to a Korean citizen and living together in Korea.
• F-6-2 (child-rearing): you’re the father or mother of a minor child born from a marriage (including a de facto marriage) with a Korean national, and you’re raising that child in Korea.
• F-6-3 (marriage dissolution): your marriage broke down because your Korean spouse died, went missing, or for another reason that wasn’t your fault.

Since 2014, the Ministry of Justice has screened F-6-1 visa issuance against an income standard, a Korean-language communication standard, and a housing standard. Those rules target the inviter. In F-6-2 cases, there’s often no inviting spouse at all. Many F-6-2 holders are divorced or separated.

Here’s the catch. Immigration officers have discretion under the Immigration Act. If your file shows no clear way to support yourself and your child, expect questions. Financial papers don’t decide F-6-2. A missing financial picture can still slow it down.

Why do so many people quote one fixed number? The answer sits in how the threshold is built.

How the household size income standard is calculated

The marriage-visa threshold is pegged to Korea’s standard median income, called gijun jungwi sodeuk. The Ministry of Health and Welfare publishes that figure every year for each household size. The Ministry of Justice sets the minimum income threshold marriage visa inviters must meet as a share of it. More people in the household means a higher bar.

That’s why a single number online misleads people. The figure moves every year. It also depends on how many people live in the household. The Ministry of Health and Welfare releases new median income figures each summer for the following year.

Who counts in the household

For F-6-1 issuance, the household generally includes the Korean spouse, the foreign spouse being invited, and dependants who share the same registered address. Children count. Each extra person raises the threshold.

What counts as income

Immigration looks at the inviter’s income for the year before the application. The standard proof is the Certificate of Income Amount (sodeuk geumaek jeungmyeongwon). The National Tax Service issues it through Hometax. Employees often add an employment certificate. Self-employed applicants add a business registration certificate.

In some cases, income from family members registered at the same address, or certain assets such as long-held savings, may be considered. The exact conversion rules sit in Ministry of Justice guidance. Confirm them before you rely on them.

Summary of Ministry of Justice marriage-visa screening rules, as published on HiKorea: the Korean inviter’s income, the couple’s ability to communicate, and adequate housing are reviewed for F-6-1 issuance. Couples who already have a child born of the marriage are exempt from the income and communication criteria.

Notice that last line. Every F-6-2 case involves a Korean child. That’s one more reason the household size income standard rarely becomes the deciding factor for F-6-2.

So if income isn’t the core test, what is? It’s a stack of documents most people underprepare.

The F-6 visa extension documents that decide F-6-2

For an F-6-2 extension, the core is proof that you’re raising a minor Korean child in Korea. Bring the application form, passport, ARC, the child’s family relations certificate, proof of custody or parental authority, proof of real child-rearing, and proof of residence. Income papers support the file. Your local office may add items, so check HiKorea first.

Here’s what each document proves.

1. Integrated application form, passport, and ARC. Your ARC (Alien Registration Card) must match your current address. Update your address first if you’ve moved.
2. Child’s Family Relations Certificate (gajok gwangye jeungmyeongseo). This shows the child is a Korean national and that you’re the parent. Issue it through Government24 or a community service center.
3. Proof of custody or parental authority. After divorce, this is usually the court ruling or the confirmation of a divorce agreement naming you as the custodial parent (yangyukja).
4. Proof that you actually raise the child. Daycare or school enrollment certificates, vaccination records, and a resident registration showing you live together all help.
5. Proof of residence. A lease contract or a housing confirmation letter.
6. Livelihood evidence. An employment certificate, Certificate of Income Amount, bank statements, or records of child support received.

The deciding item is usually number 4. A custody ruling shows legal rights. Officers also want evidence that you’re the one doing the parenting, today, in Korea.

Book your appointment through HiKorea before your current stay period ends. Don’t wait for the last week. ARC renewal grace period late extension fine

Now the part forums get wrong most often. What do you do when income is low?

Income shortfall: does a guarantor option exist?

Not as a fix for low income. The identity guarantee (sinwon bojeungseo) is a promise to immigration that someone will cover costs such as your departure if needed. It’s a separate document from the income test. For F-6-1 issuance, a shortfall is usually handled through combined family income, qualifying assets, or the child exemption. For F-6-2, strong child-rearing proof matters most.

Article 90 of the Immigration Act sets out the identity guarantor’s responsibilities. The English text is on MOLEG. In marriage cases, the Korean spouse often signs this form. A guarantee doesn’t add a single won to anyone’s income certificate, though.

That’s the source of the confusion. People hear “get a guarantor” and assume it replaces the threshold. It doesn’t.

When your former spouse won’t sign

This is common after divorce. If your office asks for a guarantee and your ex refuses, don’t skip the item silently. Ask the officer what alternative evidence they accept. You can also call the Immigration Contact Center at 1345 before your appointment. It offers service in multiple languages.

What to show when money is tight

Low income is not an automatic denial for F-6-2. An unexplained gap is the bigger problem. Help the officer see how the household runs:

• Child support (yangyukbi) court orders and bank records of payments received
• Part-time or freelance pay slips, even small ones
• Records of public benefits. Foreign nationals raising a minor Korean child can qualify for support under the National Basic Livelihood Security Act. Benefit decision letters show stable support.
• Rent paid on time, shown through bank transfers

Honest, organized records beat a padded file. Officers see inflated documents often.

Many people only meet these questions after a marriage ends. That’s the next piece.

What happens to F-6 status after divorce?

Divorce removes the F-6-1 basis, but not always your right to stay. If you have custody of your minor Korean child, or you’re actually raising that child, F-6-2 may fit. If the marriage ended through your spouse’s death, disappearance, or fault, F-6-3 may apply. Otherwise you’ll need another status. File the change before your stay expires.

The move from F-6-1 to F-6-2 or F-6-3 is a change of status of stay (cheryu jagyeok byeongyeong). You apply through HiKorea or at the immigration office that covers your address. The Korea Immigration Service makes the final call.

The fault question

For F-6-3, the burden is on you to show the breakdown wasn’t your fault. Court judgments, police reports, and medical records can all help. If violence was involved, the Danuri Helpline (1577-1366) supports migrant women in several languages. It can connect you with shelters and legal aid.

If you have no custody

Without custody or real child-rearing, F-6-2 is hard to support. Talk to the 1345 center or a legal aid office about your options before your current period ends. Overstaying, even briefly, can hurt future applications.

Divorce also changes your long-term path. Many F-6 holders plan to move to permanent residence later. That route has its own income test. F-5 permanent residency marriage migrant

So how do you turn all this into one smooth appointment?

Your step-by-step plan before the appointment

Start early and build the file in order. Collect child-related proof first, then residence papers, then income and livelihood records. Book through HiKorea before your stay expires. Call 1345 if your case doesn’t fit the standard checklist. Bring originals plus copies. Officers decide case by case, so a complete, clearly labeled file is your best protection.

1. Check your expiry date on your ARC and on HiKorea. Write it somewhere you’ll see it.
2. Order the child’s Family Relations Certificate and your resident registration through Government24.
3. Gather custody proof. Get a certified copy of the court ruling or divorce agreement confirmation.
4. Collect care evidence. Ask the daycare or school for an enrollment certificate.
5. Pull income records. Download the Certificate of Income Amount from Hometax. Print 3 to 6 months of bank statements.
6. Write a one-page summary in simple Korean or English. List who lives with you, how the household is supported, and who cares for the child.
7. Book the visit on HiKorea and arrive early with originals and copies.

One more step pays off later. If you’re planning for permanent residence, completing the Korea Immigration and Integration Program (KIIP) can strengthen future applications. It’s worth starting while your F-6 status is stable.

Your next move is simple. Open HiKorea, find your expiry date, and start with document number 4. That’s the one that decides most F-6-2 files.