E-9 visa holders to be able to work in restaurants starting next year

Economy

Published: 23 Nov. 2023, 13:18 Updated: 23 Nov. 2023, 16:57

E-9 visa holders to be able to work in restaurants starting next year

Deregulation measures will allow E-9 visa holders to work in the restaurant industry starting next year, the government said on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

Foreign workers with E-9 visas will now be able to legally work at restaurants.

The change in visa policy comes as part of one of 167 regulatory reforms Prime Minister Han Duck-soo announced on Wednesday. The reforms aim to support small and medium-sized business owners and facilitate economic activities.

Until now, E-9 visa holders could only work in the agriculture, fishing, manufacturing and construction sectors, which are industries typically avoided by domestic workers.

The quota for the E-9 visa in the restaurant industry will start at 3,000 but could be expanded to a maximum of 10,000. This year’s quota for E-9 visas is 110,000. The number of foreign workers to be allocated for the restaurant industry will be determined by the end of this month.

The announcement comes after President Yoon Suk Yeol called for a preemptive response to immigration issues, including establishing an immigration agency.

Customers may be able to purchase contact lenses online starting next year. [NEWS1]

The series of reforms also included allowing the sale of contact lenses online starting next year.

Onnuri gift certificates, which can be used instead of cash at traditional markets, will also be able to be used past their expiration dates starting this year.

The maximum volume of perfume eligible for duty-free purchase will also go up from 60 milliliters to 100 milliliters for outbound Korean nationals.

Before the announcement, the Office for Government Policy Coordination also eased 1,600 regulations in a move that officials say will result in an economic effect worth 101 trillion won ($78 billion).

BY KIM JU-YEON, PARK TAE-IN [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]