Last verified: September 22, 2026 · E-9 workplace-change reasons, deadlines, change limits and current EPS online services checked against the Foreign Workers Employment Act and Ministry of Employment and Labor guidance.
An E-9 visa does not give you a general right to quit one employer and immediately start with another. A workplace change must fit a legal reason and it runs on two deadlines.
Under the current Employment of Foreign Workers Act, an E-9 worker normally has to apply for a workplace change within one month after the employment contract ends. After the workplace-change application, the worker generally has three months to obtain permission to change the place of work.
There are statutory timing exceptions for circumstances such as occupational injury, illness, pregnancy or childbirth that prevent the worker from applying or obtaining permission. The clock does not simply disappear; the law changes when the relevant period begins to run.
1. First identify why the current job is ending
The reason is not paperwork decoration. It can determine whether the change is allowed and whether it counts toward your numerical limit.
| Situation | Possible workplace-change basis | Evidence worth keeping |
|---|---|---|
| Employer ends the contract | Employer seeks termination during the contract for a legitimate reason | Termination notice, messages, employment record |
| Contract expires and employer refuses renewal | Statutory workplace-change ground | Contract, expiration date, non-renewal record |
| Business closes or suspends operations | Worker cannot continue for a reason not attributable to the worker | Closure notice, work stoppage, wage records |
| Serious wage or working-condition violation | May qualify as a worker-no-fault reason when the official criteria are met | Payslips, bank records, schedules, labor-office records |
| Substandard accommodation or unfair treatment | May qualify under the worker-no-fault category when official criteria are met | Photos, contract, messages and official records |
| Injury makes this job unsuitable but other work is possible | Separate statutory ground | Medical documents and employment-center instructions |
| You simply prefer another employer | Not by itself a general statutory right to transfer | Confirm the legal route before resigning |
If the workplace is unsafe or abusive, immediate safety comes first. When you have time to prepare, save the evidence and speak to the employment center or 1350 before turning a provable employer-side problem into a record that only says “voluntary resignation.”
2. “Three changes” is not the whole rule
The basic limit under the current system is no more than three workplace changes during the initial employment period and no more than two during the extended employment period.
Changes for qualifying reasons that are not the foreign worker's fault are not counted toward that ordinary limit.
This is why two E-9 workers with the same number of previous employers can have different remaining change counts. You need the reason recorded for each change, not only the number of companies on your résumé.
EPS provides a workplace-change history service. Check it rather than relying on memory.
3. The one-month deadline begins when the employment contract ends
The current statute says an E-9 worker who does not apply for a workplace change within one month from the date the employment contract ends must generally leave Korea, unless a statutory timing exception applies.
If the end date itself is disputed, contact the employment center promptly rather than letting the one-month period become another dispute.
4. Applying for change and starting the new job are separate stages
The law uses different events: applying to change workplace and obtaining permission for the new place of work.
Submitting the application does not mean you can start at any company the next morning. The new employer must use the Employment Permit System procedure, and the required immigration permission must also be completed.
5. EPS can show more than the application itself
| EPS service | Why it is useful |
|---|---|
| Workplace-change application | Online application route for eligible E-9 users |
| Application progress | Check whether the request is being processed |
| Referral workplace history | Shows workplaces introduced through the system |
| Employment-contract status | Compare the official employment record with your paper contract |
| Workplace-change history | Check earlier transfers and their record |
| Insurance enrollment | Useful before leaving the old employer |
| Career certificate request | Keep an official employment record |
6. Keep proof before you lose access to the old workplace
A worker who leaves suddenly can lose access to a time clock, staff app, dormitory notice board or company messenger. Save what you are legally entitled to keep before that happens.
If the issue is unpaid wages
Save payslips, bank deposits, schedules and attendance records.
If the issue is accommodation
Save the accommodation clause, deduction record and clear photos of the actual facility.
If the issue is mistreatment
Keep written communications and official records that already exist. Where there is violence, sexual violence, trafficking, threats or another immediate safety risk, use the relevant emergency or protection service first.
If the company is closing
Save closure notices, messages telling workers not to report, unpaid-wage records and anything issued by the employment center or labor office.
7. Injury, illness, pregnancy and childbirth can change the deadline calculation
When an occupational injury, illness, pregnancy, childbirth or another qualifying circumstance prevents the worker from applying for a workplace change or obtaining workplace-change permission, the relevant period can be calculated from the date that obstacle ends.
This is not an unlimited extension. Keep medical or other official documentation and ask the employment center how the exception is being recorded in your case.
8. Check both employment and immigration status before starting the new job
The employment center and EPS handle the employment-permit side. Immigration rules govern permission to change or add the place of work. The two systems are related but not identical.
Before the first shift at the new company, confirm that the required employment and immigration steps are complete.
For immigration questions, contact 1345. For EPS and labor questions, use EPS, the competent employment center or 1350.
Related Video: Korea's Foreign-Worker Policy Is Changing
This Arirang News report is presented in English. It discusses Korea's effort to connect recruitment, employment, worker protection and longer-term support instead of treating them as separate systems.
Sources
- Korea Law Information Center — Employment of Foreign Workers Act, Article 25
- Ministry of Employment and Labor — E-9 workplace-change system
- Easy Law — E-9 workplace-change grounds
- MOEL 1350 — workplace-change procedure and deadlines
- Employment Permit System — E-9 services
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