The E-2 visa is only issued to qualified personal who are citizens of one of the seven recognized native English speaking countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Applicants must hold a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in any subject from a university in one of the seven recognised English speaking countries listed above. Those who are in progress of obtaining a bachelor’s degree or hold an associate’s degree are not eligible for the E-2 visa.

Those that haven’t yet graduated can still apply for the teaching programs in South Korea. However need to obtain a Certifying Letter of Degree Completion from the university’s admissions office. The letter must be printed on official school letterhead, state your anticipated graduation date, state the expected date that you will receive your degree, and contain a ink signature by an office official or an official school stamp. Please refer to the Sample Letter 1 and the Sample Letter 2 for details.

Those who have any sort of criminal record (either Misdemeanors or Felonies) are not eligible for the visa. Criminal records are verified by a submission of a National Level Criminal Record Check. Traffic violations (such as speeding and parking citations) do generally not affect your criminal record for teaching in South Korea.

Please note that the Criminal Background Check is valid for 6 months from the date of issue and must be submitted to the Korean Immigration before the expiration date.

Applicants must be in a Good Health Standing and submit a self-medical check survey. They then receive a preliminary visa to come to Korea, where they take an actual medical check at a Korean health center. The test checks for general health conditions, drug usage, and diseases.