North Gyeongsang announces plans to welcome more migrants

The North Gyeongsang Provincial Government Office [NORTH GYEONGSANG]

North Gyeongsang announced it will issue more region-specific visas to attract more foreigners next year, also adding more foreigner support centers in the region.

The province announced Tuesday that 290 foreigners were allowed to reside in North Gyeongsang with the F-2-R regional specialized residency visa this year.

It already met its annual visa quota of 290.

The F-2-R visa allows foreigners to reside in Korea for five years but requires them to live and work in rural areas designated by the government.

For North Gyeongsang, foreigners who got the F-2-R visa have to live and work in Yeongju, Yeongcheon, Uiseong County, Goryeong County and Seongju County.

As of this year, the F-2-R visa allows foreigners to reside in 13 provinces and cities, including South Chungcheong, South Jeolla and North Jeolla. Quotas are different for each region.

North Gyeongsang said it plans to open up more quotas for the F-2-R visas next year, allowing foreigners to live in 15 North Gyeongsang cities.

Cities such as Mungyeong and Andong will be part of the list.

Foreigners who obtained a bachelor's degree or above at a Korean university or are expected to graduate with one can apply for the visa.

They need to prove their Korean fluency by either having Korea Immigration and Integration Program level 3 or above or a TOPIK level 3 or above. Spouses or underage children of the visa holders can reside in Korea with the F-1-R visa. The visa allows a two-year stay, with an additional two-year extension allowed.

North Gyeongsang plans to introduce more support systems for foreigners migrants. The province will open a new visa center this year, providing administrative help regarding naturalization and linking foreigners with jobs.

"Based on the discussed agendas, we will actively prepare for the issuance of next year's regional specialized residency visas and do our best to attract foreigners to North Gyeongsang and help them settle down," Park Sung-soo, a North Gyeongsang's provincial government official, said.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]