Justice Ministry rolls out 5-year immigration policy plan

International students attend a job fair in Busan in July. The Ministry of Justice announced a new five-year immigration policy plan on Thursday to welcome more foreigners. [SONG BONG-GEUN]

The Ministry of Justice announced a five-year immigration policy plan on Thursday, including new visas for foreigners, an immigration agency and strengthening the crackdown on people living in Korea without legal permission.

"The ministry aims to attract global talent such as outstanding researchers, international students and skilled workers," the Justice Ministry said in a statement. "We also devised various plans to help solve the labor shortage in the agricultural and fisheries sectors, crack down on unlawful immigration and maintain border control."

The five-year plan, mapping out Korea's immigration policy until 2027, was finalized by the Foreigners' Policy Committee in its deliberations between Friday and Wednesday.

According to the plan, a fast-track system will be created to allow international students willing to work for industries facing labor shortages to acquire visas easily.

Another fast track will allow foreigners who graduated with a master's or doctorate from universities specializing in science and technology to acquire a long-term or permanent residency visa easily.

Those with degrees from schools such as KAIST, Ulsan National Institute of Science & Technology and Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science & Technology would qualify for the fast track.

The so-called workcation visa will also be created, which will allow foreigners to work remotely in Korea for a company abroad for an extended stay.

The five-year plan also reiterated the government's goal to establish a new immigration agency, which will serve as a control tower that oversees all immigration policies.

Plans to enhance the quality of life for foreigners in Korea were also announced.

The government will start issuing mobile residence cards for foreigners, allowing them to access online services easily. Aiming to help children of multicultural families integrate into Korean society, more programs that help them learn Korean and Korean culture will also be offered.

Universal birth registration, which will allow foreigners to register births with the Korean government and not their embassy, will also be allowed.

Apart from policies to attract more foreigners, the ministry plans to decrease the number of people living without legal permission in Korea.

The number currently stands at 425,544 as of June, according to the ministry, which plans to bring the number down to 200,000 within the next five years.

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