Change the visa system to make it easier for foreign workers to work in Korea!

The Korean government has announced that it will allow foreign workers and students living in Korea to stay and work in Korea longer. Let's take a look at the 'Visa Killer Regulation Reform Plan that Leads Economic Growth' announced by the Ministry of Justice on August 24!

Easier transition to skilled workers

  * If you meet the necessary requirements, conversion is allowed? : As already announced, the Ministry of Justice has decided to significantly expand the quota for skilled workers (E-7-4) to 35,000 this year.

In particular, it allows companies to directly recommend foreign workers to hire themselves, and the recommended workers are given priority if they meet the necessary requirements such as Korean language skills, so that companies can hire the talent they want.

So, in the past, if successful applicants were determined in the order of high scores through competition, in the future, E-7-4 visas will be granted without competition as long as the required requirements are met.

How does it get easier

  * You only need to meet 3 requirements! : Foreign workers who want to switch to E-7-4 in the future need to meet all of the following three requirements.

① A registered foreigner who has been staying for a total of 4 years or more in the last 10 years with the applicable qualification (E-9, E-10, H-2) and is working normally at the current workplace ② Receives an annual salary of 26 million won or more at the current workplace and works for the next 2 years A person who has an E-7-4 employment contract above ③ A person with an average income of 25 million won or more for the last 2 years and a beginner level of Korean proficiency (TOPIK level 2 or higher, social integration program level 2 or higher, social integration program pre-assessment score of 41 points or higher) and scoring 200 points or more out of 300 points If you do, you can switch.

  *The scoring system will be newly changed: For the existing E-7-4, it was possible to pass with a score of 74 out of 224. (As of the first quarter of 2023)

However, in the future, they plan to revise the E-7-4 scoring system to a 300-point scale and make it easier to receive scores.

For example, it is said that up to 170 points will be given even if only requirements such as ▲company recommendation ▲long-term service for more than 3 years at the current workplace ▲work for more than 3 years in depopulated areas ▲possession of a domestic driver's license are met.

The fact that Korean is a must is also a different point. In the past, if you were good at Korean, you could improve your score, but it was not required.

There are cases where you cannot convert to E-7-4. Those who have been fined more than 500,000 won, tax delinquents, violators of the Immigration Control Act more than 4 times, and those who have stayed illegally for more than 3 months cannot change their visa

High-tech talent is better

  *Foreign manpower is good, but excellent talent is better: The Ministry of Justice decided to expand support for excellent talent in the high-tech field to secure R&D manpower.

One of those options is allowing family employment. In the meantime, spouses of excellent talents were not able to get a job because they were granted a companion visa, not a work visa.

However, in the future, they plan to grant employment visas to the accompanying family members of outstanding talents and support their stable settlement through expedited visa issuance.

  *More benefits for legal aliens: Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon emphasized, “We will greatly expand employment opportunities so that companies can sufficiently hire legal aliens, not illegal aliens, and we will take strict action against illegal aliens.”

Mary Eve