Amendments to Regional Visa Policy

Effective from 3 August 2026, the Korean Ministry of Justice has announced significant amendments to the Regional Specialized Visa programme. The changes widen the list of eligible regions, adjust the financial thresholds applicants must evidence, and shorten the window in which a local government recommendation stays valid.

What has changed

The amendment is best read as three separate moves. Taken together they make the regional route more accessible, but they also front-load more of the work onto the weeks before submission.

1. 1More eligible regions. Several municipalities that previously sat outside the programme can now issue recommendations, expanding the list of qualifying institutions.
2. 2Revised financial evidence. The balance certificate threshold has been restated, and the holding period the bank statement must cover is now checked more strictly than the amount itself.
3. 3Shorter recommendation validity. A local government recommendation now expires sooner, so it should be requested only once the offer letter is in hand.

What applicants should do now

1. 1

   Confirm your institution's region

   Ask the admissions office to confirm in writing whether the campus you are applying to falls inside the revised programme. Campus and head office are not always in the same municipality.

2. 2

   Open the bank account early

   Because the holding period matters more than the closing balance, a deposit made days before submission will not satisfy the requirement. Start the account at least one full quarter ahead.

3. 3

   Sequence the recommendation last

   Request the local government recommendation after the offer letter arrives, so its validity still covers your consulate appointment.

Notes for consultancy partners

We have updated the document checklists inside the ApplyUni portal to reflect the revised thresholds. Applications created before the amendment retain their original checklist; anything created from the announcement date forward picks up the new one automatically.

If you have a file in progress that you think may be affected, send it to your account manager and we will review the sequencing with you before submission.