2024, Changes in Foreigner Policies 🤘

① Systematizing Immigration Management Beneficial to South Korea

• Introduction of the Pre-Announcement System for Total Quotas of Work Visas, disclosing the issuance scale of major employment visas by field in advance.

• Establishment of a comprehensive Foreigner Administration Information Platform enabling the exchange of necessary data among government departments for foreign administrative tasks.

• Standardization of basic personal information for foreigners across government departments to comply with international standards, through the promotion of Cross-Government Standardization of Foreigner Basic Personal Information.

• Creation of a Domestic Study Abroad Talent Visa Linkage Track (D-2 → D-10 → E-7 → F-2) to allow international students to work and settle in industries facing labor shortages after graduation.

② Attracting and Nurturing Immigrants Essential to the South Korean Economy

• Activation of the Fast-Track for Outstanding Talent Permanent Residency and Naturalization, enabling rapid acquisition of permanent residency and nationality for those obtaining doctoral degrees in specialized institutions in the field of science and engineering.

• Attraction of Outstanding Foreign Researchers to enhance national research competitiveness and global networks.

• Innovative expansion and improvement of skilled workers to address the shortage of skilled labor in industries affected by short-term fluctuations.

• Annual Intake Scale: ('18) 600 people → ('20) 1,000 people → ('22) 2,000 people → ('23) 35,000 people

• Promotion of the introduction of foreign workers in the care field, such as Caregiving and Nursing, to meet the increasing demand for foreign labor.

• Expansion of the scope of allowing unskilled foreign labor in industries facing shortages, such as Restaurant (Kitchen Assistants), Forestry, and Mining.

• Support for inbound entrepreneurship and employment through the Overall Assistance for Startup Immigration System (OASIS), fostering overseas startup development talents.

• OASIS (Overall Assistance for Startup Immigration System): A program supporting the acquisition of a foreign technology startup visa operated by the Global Startup Immigration Center jointly designated by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Ministry of Justice.

③ Establishing a Regional-Based Immigration Policy System

• Regularization of Region-Specific Visas for addressing population decline and regional extinction.

• Expansion of Public Seasonal Employment to alleviate the shortage of labor in rural areas.

• Analysis and provision of customized foreign administrative data for local governments, including population distribution, foreign student distribution, school majors, foreign employment by industry, and inter-regional migration.

④ Integration of Immigration Policies with National Branding for Economic Growth

• Improvement of the Electronic Travel Authorization System (K-ETA) for enhanced user convenience, including multilingual support, extended validity periods, and exemptions for youth and the elderly, to promote tourism industry activation.

• Expansion of the issuance of Group Electronic Visas, previously issued for incentives and math travel groups from some Southeast Asian countries, to include ordinary tourists.

• Introduction of a new visa, Workation Visa, allowing remote workers from abroad to enjoy tourism while residing in South Korea.

• Workation: A blend of work and vacation, allowing remote workers to enjoy tourism while working remotely in a destination.