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Employment aid system opens doors for international students, graduates in Korean SMEs

Published: 23 Jun. 2025, 16:18 Updated: 23 Jun. 2025, 18:00

International students fill in application forms at a job fair held in Busan on Sept. 27, 2024. [YONHAP]

International students and graduates seeking employment at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Korea can now receive professional help from public agencies.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency announced on Monday that they had jointly launched an employment assistance system to help foreign nationals obtain the E-7-1 visa, which is designed for foreign professionals and specialists working in designated fields.

According to the public agencies, foreign nationals who have graduated (or are expected to graduate) with an associate’s degree or higher from a domestic institution and hold a D-2 or D-10 visa are eligible to apply for the assistance program.

There are 24 jobs that candidates can apply for to receive the benefits of the initiative.

Applicants are required to sign labor contracts with domestic SMEs and startups before signing up for the government-backed program.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups will then select the final beneficiaries within two weeks after reviewing applications and offer recommendation benefits and other incentives. The ministry said the recommendation will increase the possibility of the grantees’ E-7-1 visa approval.

More details about the employment assistance system are available on K-Work.

BY YOON SEUNG-JIN [[email protected]]