F-1-D One Year in the Same Industry: Proving It When Your Business Is New or Your Career Has Changed

What the requirement says

The Ministry of Justice’s July 2026 overview of the F-1-D workation visa describes an applicant who is employed by an overseas company or operates an overseas business, can perform that work remotely, and has at least one year of experience in the same industry. Consular notices differ materially on the experience point. Earlier guidance from the Korean Embassy in Norway distinguished experience in an industry from time with one employer; current guidance from the Korean Embassy in Singapore specifies one year with the applicant’s current company. Confirm how the authority that will receive your application applies the current Ministry policy, so the first question is where you will file.

Experience is examined together with the other conditions, not on its own. Whether the work is employment or an operating business, whether the income meets the tier for your age, intended residence and any accompanying family, and how your experience relates to the industry of that current work, are assessed as one picture. Strong income does not cure a weak experience record, and a long career does not cure a work arrangement the office does not recognise.

• Ministry of Justice: 7 July 2026 announcement
• Korean Embassy in Norway: pilot-period notice
• Korean Embassy in Singapore: current guidance
• F-1-D requirements guide

Four situations that need care

In each situation the risk is the same: the documents show several things, and the application does not say clearly which of them is the work being relied on, or how the pieces connect. State the connection in your own words and check that the documents are consistent with that statement.

• You changed employers within one industry. The experience is continuous in substance, but it helps to document each period, and the office may ask why the current employer relationship is short.
• You moved from employment to self-employment in the same field. The industry is the same; the work arrangement is not. The self-employment must be an overseas business the office recognises, and the earlier employment must be shown to be in the same field as the business.
• Your business was registered recently but your personal track record is older. Company records are short; personal records are long. Depending on the checklist, both may be relevant, and the registration date of the company does not describe your experience.
• You have several income-producing activities. Identify the overseas employment or business you rely on, and disclose the others. The office will look at what you actually do, not at how you label it, and may classify an activity differently from the way you describe it. A retail or platform business is not a consulting practice because the owner once worked as a consultant.

Evidence that connects past and present

These are suggested supporting materials, not a prescribed list; each receiving authority publishes its own checklist, and the materials above do not replace anything on it. Consistency matters more than volume: dates, job titles and the description of the field should match across the statement, the contracts and the tax records. Where a document is in another language, confirm whether the receiving office requires a translation or authentication before ordering it.

• Employment certificates or contracts with dates, job titles and a description of duties, supported by payslips or salary records for the same period.
• Tax filings and social-contribution records for each year relied on.
• Business registration and evidence that the business operates: filings, a bank account in the business name, and a description of what it sells or does.
• Client contracts and invoices that show the service actually performed, the client’s location and the period of the engagement.
• Platform payout statements, where income arrives through a platform, with a short statement explaining the activity they relate to.
• A dated work-history statement, written by you, listing each role or business, its field, its dates and any gaps, and explaining in a few sentences why the current work is a continuation of the earlier work.

New company, old records

A newly registered business will not have a year of company tax history. Earlier personal records may help demonstrate experience in the industry, but the published notices do not say that they replace employment, business-ownership or company-history evidence that a receiving authority requires. Confirm that authority’s requirements before relying on this approach and, depending on its checklist, consider providing the company evidence and the older personal records with an explanation of their connection.

Two cautions. First, do not rely on the future growth of a new venture to establish history; what is examined is the record to date. Second, do not describe an activity that produces most of your income as a side activity in order to fit a narrative. The office sees the income records. Describe every activity accurately, and identify which one is the work you will perform from Korea.

Income from earlier, related work

Applicants who have changed arrangement often ask whether income from an earlier role in the same field counts toward the income tier. The published guidance does not establish a general rule that it does. The safe course is to prepare an income schedule by source and period, so that the office can see the current work, the earlier related work and the connection between them, and to seek confirmation of how each source will be treated.

Whatever the office counts, the other conditions still apply. Follow the published rules of the receiving authority on the income period, gross or net basis, currency conversion and supporting documents; consular notices state, for example, pre-tax income converted at the application date, or a recent tax assessment with bank statements. Clarify anything they leave open before filing.

• Compare your income with the 2026 references

Timing when you are already in Korea

If you entered on a short-term status and intend to apply for a change of status, the permitted-stay expiry date sets the timetable, and an inquiry to this office or an appointment does not extend it. Order the time-sensitive records first and prepare the work-history statement while they arrive. Do not let an approaching expiry push you into presenting a weaker experience record than you actually have.

• Changing status inside Korea: what to check first

How the initial review works

• Send a short description, your current country and time zone, and any deadline. Please wait for document-transfer instructions before sending identity documents.
• The attorney checks the requested scope and any conflict of interest, then proposes the review, fee and expected delivery date by email. An English video consultation can be arranged by appointment.
• For an agreed initial review, receive an English summary of the issues, missing documents and recommended next steps. The scope may include a document checklist or an authority-by-authority action plan.
• Fees depend on the records and questions to be reviewed. Any filing, translation, certification, government charges or continuing work is identified separately in the proposal. Sending an inquiry does not start a paid engagement.

Scope and sources

This guide is based on the Ministry of Justice’s July 2026 announcement and the consular notices linked above, whose wording differs by post. It provides general information on how the experience requirement is described and evidenced. It does not establish eligibility, and the receiving office decides what it will accept. Filing or representation requires a separately agreed scope.

• F-1-D legal review in English
• About Sanghyun Cho, Korean attorney