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H-1 Working Holiday

South KoreaYouth mobility

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

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Get your free results Read the five questions ↓

Which nationalities and age range can participate?

H-1 (Working Holiday) is for nationals of countries that have a working holiday programme with Korea. The official source does not name those countries or state an age range.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The Visa Navigator table does not list the partner countries or any age range for H-1; those sit in each bilateral agreement, which was not captured in this run.

What combination of travel, work, study or training does the programme permit?

H-1 is primarily a travel holiday: short-term jobs are allowed only to supplement travel expenses. Holders may not work as receptionists, dancers, singers, musicians or acrobats in entertainment venues, nor in professions requiring domestic qualifications (e.g. doctors, lawyers, professors, pilots, language instructors). Study toward an academic degree (other than Korean-language training) requires a D-2 student visa.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Source is the Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles page; it states that required documents may vary by consulate/embassy. It describes the programme for U.S. citizens; other agreements may differ.

What are the defining limitations: quota, ballot, previous participation, employer limits, study limits or equivalent?

For U.S. applicants the programme is subject to a quota of 2,000; only U.S. citizens currently enrolled in a university (full-time, having completed at least 4 bachelor or 2 associate semesters) or who graduated within the last year may apply; gap-year, master's and PhD students are not eligible. Dependants cannot accompany the holder. The official source does not state whether a person may participate more than once.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Source is the Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles page; it states that required documents may vary by consulate/embassy. Quota and eligibility are those stated for U.S. citizens only.
  • Whether a person may participate more than once is not stated.

What funds, insurance, onward travel or similar preparation is particularly important?

U.S. applicants must show a 3-month bank statement with a minimum balance of USD 3,000 and a round-trip ticket (or an additional USD 1,500 in the bank), plus an activity plan; FBI criminal records or a doctor's note on health may be requested, and a criminal history with a fine above USD 3,000 may lead to refusal. The official source does not state an insurance requirement.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Source is the Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles page; it states that required documents may vary by consulate/embassy. Amounts apply to U.S. applicants at that consulate.
  • No insurance requirement is stated.

How long can the person stay, can the programme be extended or repeated, and what happens when it ends?

The period of stay is as specified in the relevant working holiday agreement, and the H-1 status is not extendable. The official source does not state whether the programme can be repeated or what happens when it ends.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Whether the programme can be repeated and what happens when it ends are not stated.

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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