"How are the 60 points for the job seeker visa calculated?" The D-10-1 points system requires, out of a maximum of 190 points, at least 20 points from the basic items (age and education) and a total of 60 points or more including the optional and bonus items (as of 2026). Fine and penalty records within the last five years are counted as deductions, and records above certain thresholds are not deductions but disqualification grounds that bar the application regardless of score.
The structure of the table: basic, optional and bonus items
The table consists of three parts (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 |
Within the basic items, age peaks at 30–34 (20 points), and education — proven by the degree certificate — scores 15 for associate (Korean) and bachelor's degrees, 20 for master's and 30 for doctorates. Among the optional items, study in Korea scores 30 points within three years of graduation regardless of degree level but drops sharply afterwards, and Korean ability scores 5 to 20 points by TOPIK level or KIIP stage. The leading-university bonus applies to graduates within the last three years of universities in the THE top 200 or QS top 500.
It should also be noted that for nationals of countries designated by ministerial notice who are staying under certain statuses such as short-term visit (C-3) or miscellaneous (G-1), the change is allowed only with a total score of 80 or more.
Deductions and disqualification: how fine records count
Deductions aggregate dispositions within five years of the application date. Immigration penalty notices deduct 1) 30 points at KRW 3M or more, 2) 10 points at KRW 1M to under 3M, and 3) 5 points at KRW 500K to under 1M; criminal fines deduct 1) 30 points at KRW 3M or more, 2) 10 points at KRW 2M to under 3M, and 3) 5 points under KRW 2M — and the two categories are aggregated cumulatively (administrative fines excluded; as of 2026).
Separately from deductions, records above certain thresholds are disqualification grounds that bar the application regardless of score: 1) a sentence of imprisonment or heavier within five years of the application date, 2) deportation or a departure order under the Immigration Control Act within five years, 3) a criminal fine of KRW 3M or more within three years, and 4) penalty notices meeting the integrated stay-restriction criteria — KRW 5M or more as a first offence, or KRW 7M or more in aggregate within three years (as of 2026). How fine and penalty amounts affect stay more broadly is covered in a separate article.
Where a criminal case is pending, whether its outcome ends in a deduction or in disqualification turns on the amount of the fine, so the criminal defence and the job-seeker application schedule need to be judged together.
How the period of stay differs by score
Even above 60 points, the scope of stay differs by score. A total of 80 points or more allows one year per grant up to three years, while 60 to 79 points is limited to six months per grant up to one year in total (as of 2026). For a longer job search, the target is not meeting 60 but securing 80.
In addition, some language credentials carry validity periods. Completion of KIIP stages and passes in the interim and comprehensive evaluations are recognized without time limit, but pre-evaluation scores are valid for two years from the announcement date and TOPIK results only until the expiry stated on the certificate.
When deductions put the score at the margin
Suppose, for example, a combined score of 65 points with a criminal fine of KRW 2.5M four years ago. Whether the application is viable cannot be judged from the table alone: applying the 10-point deduction leaves 55 points, below the threshold, but the aggregation window is five years from the application date, so once the disposition date passes out of the window the score is computed without the deduction — and in the meantime the score itself may change through a higher language stage or accumulated experience.
In such matters, 1) the disposition date and when it leaves the aggregation window, 2) the expiry of the current status of stay, 3) the items where points can rise and the validity periods of their evidence, and 4) whether any disqualification ground applies are examined together, and the conclusion can differ with the choice of application timing, so case-by-case review is required.
The order of checks before applying
Taking the above together, it is advisable first to confirm the 20 basic points and the absence of disqualification grounds; then to organize the evidence and validity periods for the optional and bonus items and compute the total; and where there is a deduction record, to set the application timing with the aggregation window in view.
Frequently asked questions
The Visa & Immigration Center of Law Firm Lawyeon 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 was founded through the organic collaboration of attorneys Junwoo Min, Dohyun Nam, and Seungchul Kim — criminal-law specialists who have advised across a wide range of immigration matters — with Senior Advisor Taemin Ahn, who has served at the Seoul Global Center, as a center head at the Ministry of Justice's Global Start-up Immigration Center, and as a member of the Foreign Workers' Rights Protection Council of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Administration. It is Law Firm Lawyeon's dedicated center for 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 Support Center of Law Firm Lawyeon (lawyeonvisa.app).