South Korean Immigration News

The newly proposed workation visa, set to be introduced on Monday — the first day of 2024 — will allow foreign nationals engaging in a workation in Korea to stay for up to one year from their entry date and can be extended for a further year.

Eligibility for the visa includes those affiliated with foreign companies who have worked in the same industry for over a year. The visa can also be extended to their families, excluding children aged 18 or older, and the children of accompanying family members.

Their income should be more than twice Korea’s gross national income from the previous year. Requirements such as purchasing personal medical insurance and home evacuation coverage of more than 100 million won ($7,750) must also be met.

Recipients of the workation visa are prohibited from engaging in employment with a local company or taking part in for-profit activities in Korea and must obtain a separate work visa for profit-related activities.

Visa applications can be submitted at Korean embassies abroad, and those currently on short-term stays in Korea can also change their visas if they meet the requirements.

The introduction of the workation visa is anticipated to stimulate economic activity as high-income foreign nationals explore various regions of Korea and it presents an opportunity to enhance the global promotion of Korea, according to the Justice Ministry.

Meanwhile, the ministry unveiled the fourth edition of its foreign nationals-related policy plan on Thursday, which will be applied in 2027.

The plan encompasses the creation of an immigration office tasked with establishing a comprehensive government-wide system to promote immigration policy. The primary objective is to streamline the development of strategies for effectively managing the inflow and integration of immigrants.

In addition, to prevent the social exclusion of vulnerable immigrants, such as women and children, a system allowing all foreign children to apply for birth registration, regardless of their residence status, will be introduced.

This move aligns with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) recommendation for a universal birth registration system.

The fourth edition of the foreign nationals-related policy plan outlines five goals: promoting economic and regional development through immigration; implementing a safe and orderly society; fostering social integration among people and immigrants; respecting the human rights values of immigrants and establishing a foundation for immigration administration in line with global standards, according to the justice ministry.

At the same time, the government also announced its plan to reduce the number of illegal aliens from 420,000 to 200,000 by promoting a five-year plan to halve illegal stays.