Trapped by their Visas, E-7 workers face involuntary labor with no way out

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Trapped by their Visas, E-7 workers face involuntary labor with no way out

Published: 07 Jul. 2025, 00:04

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Won Ok-kum

The author is a representative of the Migrant Center Donghaeng and originally from Vietnam.

At a government immigration office in Korea, a Vietnamese worker identified as Mr. A stood holding a doctor’s note. After three years of repetitive, physically demanding labor at an auto parts factory in Siheung, Gyeonggi, he was diagnosed with spondylolisthesis — a condition that makes continued physical labor medically inadvisable. Yet when he requested permission to transfer to another workplace, the official responded coldly: “Workplace changes are allowed only in cases of business closure or physical assault.”

Even if his employer agreed to release him, and even if he found a new job that better suited his condition, immigration authorities would still likely deny the transfer. The reason? Mr. A holds an E-7 visa.

After finishing their shifts on June 5, foreign workers at Samsung Heavy Industries visit an Asian market to shop for groceries. [SONG BONG-GEUN]

While most migrant laborers in Korea's industrial zones or rural areas work under the E-9 visa for nonprofessional employment, a growing number are on E-7 visas. Issued for “designated activities,” the E-7 visa encompasses a wide range of skilled and semiskilled occupations. It includes categories such as E-7-1 (professional), E-7-2 (semi-professional), E-7-3 (general skilled), and E-7-4 (highly skilled) workers. Recent immigration data shows that more E-7 visa holders are being funneled into general and skilled labor categories, particularly in manufacturing.

But unlike E-9 workers, who fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Employment and Labor, E-7 workers are governed by the Ministry of Justice, which prioritizes immigration control over labor rights. As a result, E-7 workers often find themselves in a legal and bureaucratic void, unable to change jobs even in cases of abuse or misrepresentation.

Mr. B, a Vietnamese national who spent five years as an electrical engineer in his home country, came to Korea under the E-7-1 category to work in electrical design and supervision. Upon arrival in Wonju, Gangwon, however, he found himself performing unrelated manual labor: cleaning, digging, piping, even roofing and waterproofing. His contract listed him as a technician, but his daily tasks bore no resemblance to that role.

Farmers, including foreign workers, harvest potatoes in the fields of Songjeong, Gangneung, Gangwon, on June 23. [YONHAP]

When he complained, the employer insisted this was “part of the job,” and his recruiting agency kept deferring any resolution. “Did I come as a skilled technician or as a day laborer?” he now asks.

Another worker, Mr. C, holds an E-7-1 visa and works in shipbuilding in Geoje, South Gyeongsang. He had hoped to apply his technical training in Korea. Instead, he performs high-risk painting work on 7-meter (23-foot) platforms without a safety harness. The machinery, he says, cannot pause for safety equipment. “I’ve never worn a harness,” he said, exposing a deeper reality of the Korean workplace.

Two months into the job, Mr. C requested a transfer. His company denied it. Today, he continues painting, each step on the scaffold a reminder that a misstep could cost him his life.

For these workers, job mobility is not a right but a privilege requiring employer consent and immigration approval. Korea welcomes their labor — but not their freedom to move.

Current regulations limit workplace transfers to narrow circumstances — business closure, nonpayment, abuse or bankruptcy. This narrow scope often leads to absurd outcomes: Even if the assigned work is different from what was contracted, even if safety is neglected, even if health deteriorates, workers are left with no legal option to change employers without permission.

Korea is an aging society that urgently seeks skilled labor. Yet it continues to treat such workers as if their visas are chains. The attitude of “if you want to work here, endure it” remains commonplace.

Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the Korean Metal Workers’ Union, and the Migrants’ Trade Union rally near Bosingak Pavilion in Jongno District, central Seoul, on April 27, during the “2025 Migrant Workers’ May Day” event. The protestors called for an end to forced labor among migrant workers and the outsourcing of hazardous work. [YONHAP]

The right to change jobs is not a procedural formality — it is a question of survival, labor rights and human dignity. While authorities urge migrant workers to “stay legal,” they fail to ensure that legality supports a livable reality.

It is time for the Korean government to broaden the grounds for workplace transfers. Health conditions, safety risks, contract violations and mismatches in job descriptions are all legitimate reasons. And the framework must shift from state control to worker autonomy. A system that says “you cannot leave without permission” is indistinguishable from modern servitude.

Migrant workers live and breathe alongside us. Regardless of nationality, every worker deserves the right to safety, choice and respect. Korea must decide what kind of society it wants to be — for everyone.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.