Once you get a D-2 student visa, it's easy to think you can now work part-time freely. But when they actually go to a café interview, many international students hear the phrase for the first time when the owner asks, "Did you bring your part-time work permit?" ## Visa and work eligibility are different matters Under Korean immigration law, a visa determines the 'reason for staying in Korea,' and the eligibility to work is set separately from that. Since the reason you got a D-2 visa is to study, if you want to work, you have to separately get permission for activity that goes beyond that purpose. This permission is exactly the part-time work permit. If you work a part-time job without permission, both the student and the shop that hired them can get into trouble for illegal employment. The key point is that this isn't a right that automatically comes with having a visa — it's a document you have to apply for and receive. ## Where and What to Prepare You apply for the permit at the immigration office near your school or on the Hi Korea (hikorea.go.kr) website. You usually need a certificate of enrollment, your class schedule, and a copy of the business registration certificate for the place you'll work, and the allowed hours vary depending on whether it's during the semester or a vacation, as well as your grade level or Korean language score. These standards can change, so be sure to check the latest information on Hi Korea before applying. Also, this permit is only valid for the specific industry and workplace it was issued for, so it's good to remember that you'll need to reapply each time you change part-time jobs.