Regions to ease visa rules for international students and skilled workers
Published: 03 Jan. 2025, 16:06
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- LEE TAE-HEE
- [email protected]
![Education Minister Lee Ju-ho speaks during a job fair for international students held in Cheongju, North Chungcheong in Oct. 31, 2024. The Ministry of Justice is accepting applications from local governments that want to participate in the local government-designed visa program, which allows regions to make changes to regulations for the D-2 student visa and E-7 work visa. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/03/f894fdb5-eee7-43e6-bcd1-543c297f5657.jpg)
Education Minister Lee Ju-ho speaks during a job fair for international students held in Cheongju, North Chungcheong in Oct. 31, 2024. The Ministry of Justice is accepting applications from local governments that want to participate in the local government-designed visa program, which allows regions to make changes to regulations for the D-2 student visa and E-7 work visa. [YONHAP]
Many regions are refining the specifics of a new local government-designed visa, with some focusing on easing regulations for international students.
The Ministry of Justice will pilot the local government-designed visa program in 2025 and 2026, allowing regional governments to establish tailored guidelines for the D-2 student visa and E-7 work visa. Applications for the pilot program are open until February, and the Justice Ministry will select participating regions in March.
Some regions are seeking to lower the minimum bank balance requirement for student visas, including North Chungcheong, which has made this one of its key objectives.
"Foreigners who want to obtain the D-2 visa need to show proof of a minimum bank balance of 16 million won [$11,000], and there have been cases where people gave up studying abroad due to the high amount required," said Kim Tae-beom, head of North Chungcheong's K-International Student Team.
"We plan to propose a local government-designed visa that lowers the minimum bank account requirement by the amount of scholarships provided to international students by universities or local organizations."
Currently, those applying for a D-2 visa for a degree program in a university in greater Seoul must demonstrate a minimum bank balance of 20 million won, while universities outside greater Seoul require 16 million won.
North Chungcheong also aims to ease Korean proficiency requirements for students seeking part-time work in manufacturing.
At present, international students are not allowed to work part-time in manufacturing unless they achieve TOPIK level 4 or higher. North Chungcheong intends to reduce this requirement to level 3 under its custom visa program, while implementing additional safety measures to ensure that part-time work does not interfere with students’ studies.
Although certain visa regulations can be relaxed under the program, some conditions will remain unchanged. For the D-2 visa, applicants must still be enrolled in full-time degree programs. Any adjustments should balance academic commitments with improving career prospects postgraduation.
For the E-7 work visa, while local governments cannot alter the eligible job categories, they can adjust requirements related to education, work experience and income thresholds.
North Jeolla is another region planning to focus on easing student visa restrictions.
Although the province has not yet announced specific details of its local government-designed visa, it plans to meet with local universities to identify areas for improvement in current visa regulations.
"If more international students come to study through the local government-designed visa, it will help us prevent the decline in university enrollment and our overall population," said Jang Eun-sook, head of North Jeolla's Department of International Foreigner Policy.
Gangwon also plans to consult with local universities, the Gangwon Institute and the Gangwon State Office of Education to determine whether to prioritize the D-2 or E-7 visa. The state will submit its proposal to the Justice Ministry in early February.
"We are currently reviewing whether easing regulations for the student visa or the work visa would be more suitable for Gangwon," said Song Seon-yeong, head of Gangwon's Foreigner Policy Team.
Busan has yet to finalize specifics, similar to Gangwon, but has indicated its focus will be on attracting more international students and skilled foreign workers.
North Gyeongsang and Ulsan are prioritizing the E-7 work visa.
North Gyeongsang plans to relax regulations for workers in manufacturing, with the intention of expanding the program to cover industries such as agriculture in the future. Ulsan's adjustments will target workers in shipbuilding.
"With the local government-designed visa, we will be able to attract talent while reflecting each region's population levels and industry demands," said Ryu Hyeong-cheol, a researcher specializing in urban and regional planning at the Gyeongbuk Development Institute. "In the long term, we need legislation to establish an organization to oversee the visa and allocate the necessary budget."
BY CHOI JONG-KWON,PARK JIN-HO,KIM JEONG-SEOK,KIM MIN-JU,LEE TAE-HEE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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