Immigration Reform

POSCO developed and commercialized FINEX technology in 2007 in cooperation with Siemens.
POSCO developed and commercialized FINEX technology in 2007 in cooperation with Siemens.

 

Skilled foreign workers in the basic industries will have an opportunity to stay in Korea more easily.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and the Ministry of Justice announced on Aug. 30 that it will expand the opportunities of skilled foreign workers in the basic industries to change their visas to stay in the country, and operate a related pilot project to verify their skills and abilities. "Basic industries" are the sectors in charge of basic processing in the manufacturing industry, such as casting and metal molding.

Currently, there are approximately 29,000 foreign workers involved in the basic industries, and most of them have a Non-professional Employment (E-9) visa. With an E-9 visa, foreign workers can stay in Korea up to 4 years and 10 months.

However, they can obtain a Professional Foreign Personnel Employment (E-7) visa from now on when they pass a certain test. With the E-7 visa, they can extend their stay every two years.

The beneficiaries of the project are foreign employees who have worked in the basic industries for more than four years, are under the age of 40 with a high-school diploma or higher, and are proven fluent in Korean by completing the second level of TOPIK, or completing integration courses.

Among them, those who don’t have technician's licenses or the requisite qualifications to get average wages will be offered the opportunity to verify their abilities and skills. Fifty foreign workers will benefit from the project.

In order to insure the objectivity and fairness of the verification, the pool, which consists of 73 exports in the industry and the academic world, will be formed. Two experts and an official from the Korea Natioal Ppuri Industry Center (KPIC) will team up.

Based on the results of this pilot project, the government will figure out the demand in the industry, supplement the system, and push ahead with the project in earnest from next year.

Along with this, the MOTIE will select “Basic Industry Foreign Technicians Training Universities” in the second half of this year. When graduating from a university with certain requirements, including a degree, foreign workers also can get E-7 visas. Foreign workers or universities that want to be part of the project should submit relevant documents to the KPIC by Oct. 2. 

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