The D-10-1 system requires at least 20 basic points for age and education and a total of 60 out of 190 points, including optional and bonus points (as of 2026). Applicants with criminal fines or immigration penalties in the past five years must meet those thresholds after deductions. A sentence of imprisonment or certain fines and penalties disqualify an applicant regardless of the score.
Basic, optional and bonus points
The system allocates up to 50 basic points, 70 optional points and 70 bonus points (as of 2026).
| Part | Items | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Basic (50 points; at least 20 required) | Age (up to 20) · highest degree (up to 30) | 50 |
| Optional (70 points) | Work experience within 10 years (up to 15) · study in Korea (up to 30) · training in Korea (up to 5) · Korean-language ability (up to 20) | 70 |
| Bonus (70 points) | Ministerial or consular recommendation (20) · leading world university (20) · global-company career (20) · STEM bachelor's or higher (5) · high-income professional career (5) | 70 |
Applicants aged 30–34 receive the highest age score, at 20 points. Education, supported by degree certificates, receives 15 points for a Korean associate degree or a bachelor’s degree, 20 for a master’s degree and 30 for a doctorate. Study in Korea receives 30 points within three years of graduation regardless of degree level, with a lower score afterwards. TOPIK level or KIIP stage earns 5 to 20 points. The leading-university bonus applies to those who graduated within the last three years from a university in the THE top 200 or QS top 500.
Nationals of countries designated by the Minister of Justice who hold certain statuses, including C-3 or G-1, need a total of at least 80 points to change status.
Fine and penalty deductions and disqualification
Deductions cover dispositions within five years before the application date. Immigration penalties deduct 30 points for KRW 3 million or more, 10 points for KRW 1 million to under 3 million, and 5 points for KRW 500,000 to under 1 million. Criminal fines deduct 30 points for KRW 3 million or more, 10 points for KRW 2 million to under 3 million, and 5 points for amounts under KRW 2 million. Deductions from both categories are added together. Administrative fines are excluded (as of 2026).
An application is barred regardless of score for: 1) a sentence of imprisonment or more severe punishment within five years before the application; 2) a deportation or departure order under the Immigration Control Act within five years; 3) a criminal fine of KRW 3 million or more within three years; or 4) immigration penalties meeting the stay-restriction threshold of KRW 5 million or more for a first offence or KRW 7 million or more in total within three years (as of 2026). A separate article addresses the wider immigration effects of criminal fines and immigration penalties.
If a pending criminal case results in a fine, its amount and the application date determine whether a deduction or a disqualification rule applies. For example, a fine of KRW 3 million or more within three years before applying bars the application; earning additional points cannot overcome that bar.
Stay periods and language-certificate validity
A score of at least 80 allows one year per grant, up to three years in total. A score of 60 to 79 allows six months per grant, up to one year in total (as of 2026). Applicants who need more than a year to find employment must meet the 80-point threshold.
Completion of KIIP stages and passes in the interim and comprehensive evaluations remain valid without a time limit. Pre-evaluation scores are valid for two years from the announcement of results, and TOPIK results remain valid only until the expiry date on the certificate.
Deduction periods and application timing
An applicant with 65 basic, optional and bonus points and a KRW 2.5 million fine from four years ago loses 10 points, leaving 55 and falling below the threshold. The deduction ends when that disposition falls outside the five-year period before the application date. Additional language or work-experience points could allow the applicant to reach the threshold before those five years have elapsed.
Waiting for a deduction to expire depends on having permission to stay until then. Earning additional points instead requires obtaining the language or work-experience evidence before the current stay expires. Comparing the disposition date, the stay expiry date and the earliest date for obtaining additional points establishes whether waiting is feasible or the score must be improved sooner.
Scores and evidence at the application date
The score must be supported by evidence valid on the application date. While an applicant waits for a deduction to expire, a TOPIK certificate may expire or the study-in-Korea score may fall after three years from graduation. The final score may therefore remain lower than expected even after the deduction ends. The 20-point basic minimum, the total score and any remaining disqualification grounds must all be checked against the same application date.
Frequently asked questions
Law Firm Lawyeon Immigration Law Center provides legal services specialized in the integrated handling of Korean immigration and visa matters together with criminal cases and immigration-violation reviews, built on extensive case experience, professional networks, and practical knowledge.
The Center brings together attorneys Junwoo Min, Dohyun Nam, and Seungchul Kim, criminal-law specialists with extensive immigration advisory experience, and Senior Advisor Taemin Ahn. Mr Ahn has served at the Seoul Global Center, headed a Ministry of Justice Global Start-up Immigration Center, and served on the Foreign Workers' Rights Protection Council of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Administration. Together, they established Law Firm Lawyeon's dedicated immigration practice.
In particular, for departure orders and entry-ban dispositions that follow a final criminal conviction, the Center presents effective solutions through an integrated strategy spanning criminal defense, objections to the disposition, and applications to lift the entry ban, and it supports stable business activity in Korea by managing many clients' immigration risk.
This article is intended as general information about the relevant legal framework and is not legal advice on any individual matter. Determinations concerning immigration status may differ depending on specific facts such as residence history, income and contractual relationships. If your situation requires individual review, you may request a consultation with the Immigration Law Center of Law Firm Lawyeon (lawyeon-immigration.com).