I study in Korea and do delivery work. Can I be deported for it?

From 30 October 2026, a foreign student found working as a delivery rider should expect to be removed from Korea, even for a first violation. The Ministry of Justice announced the change after a meeting of government agencies on 29 October. Below is what the new rule says, why it came now, and what to do if you are already caught up in it.

What changed on 30 October

The immigration authority tightened its standard for students who work in fields closed to them. Delivery and entertainment venues are the two fields named. If a student is caught there, the rule is now a deportation order (강제퇴거) or a departure order (출국명령), and the number of earlier violations no longer matters.

Before this, the result depended on the case. Many people paid a fine and stayed. Each final decision is still made case by case under the law, but a fine should no longer be treated as the expected outcome.

Why the rule changed now

The figures come from an earlier Ministry release in July 2026. From January to May 2026, immigration officers caught 734 foreign nationals riding for delivery platforms without the right to do so. In the whole of 2025 the number was 67.

• By status: students (D-2) 410, overseas Koreans (F-4) 149, job seekers (D-10) 99
• By nationality: Vietnam 444, China 164, Uzbekistan 86

In that round, 68 people were made to leave Korea and 643 paid fines of between 1 million and 10 million won each. Many of the riders were using an app account registered in someone else's name.

What enforcement will look like

Immigration and the police will run joint checks on riders and on the delivery shops behind them. Using a borrowed account, riding without a licence, and hiring or brokering foreign riders illegally are all in scope. The transport ministry plans an identity check for delivery workers, which will make borrowed accounts much harder to use. Officers will also focus on 69 areas and workplaces across the country, and employers there will be checked as well as workers. Jeju has its own crackdown on overstays, job brokers and leaving the island in breach of visa-free entry.

Can a student work at all?

Yes, within limits. A D-2 or D-4 student needs permission from immigration before taking a part-time job, and that permission covers set hours and set kinds of work. Delivery riding stays closed to students even when the permission has been granted. Before you accept any job, call the immigration contact center on 1345 and ask whether that exact work is allowed for your status. Write down the date and what you were told.

If you have already been caught

Do not sign a statement you have not understood. You may ask for an interpreter during questioning. If a deportation order is issued, an objection can be filed with the Minister of Justice within 7 days of the day you receive it. Seven days pass quickly, and the facts that can change the outcome need to be gathered first: how you came to work, for how long, your enrollment and attendance, and anyone in Korea who depends on you.

Next step

Bring your residence card (외국인등록증), any paper immigration gave you, your school enrollment certificate and the app screens or messages that show who arranged the work. With those, a lawyer can tell within one meeting whether an objection or a request for a lighter measure is realistic. Consultations carry a fee, and our staff will explain it when they return your call.

법무법인 대한중앙
1533-7377

Rules applied

Immigration Act (출입국관리법) Article 17 (a foreigner may only engage in the activities allowed by their status of stay), Article 18 (restrictions on employment of foreigners), Article 20 (permission for activities outside the status of stay, the basis of student part-time work permission), Article 46 (grounds for deportation), Article 60(1) (objection to a deportation order within 7 days of receiving it), Article 68 (departure order). Policy announced by the Ministry of Justice on 30 October 2026 after the inter-agency meeting of 29 October; enforcement figures from the Ministry of Justice release of 7 July 2026.

This is general information, not legal advice. Every case is different.