Gyeonggi-do, "Economic Effect of 1 Trillion Won and 4,000 Jobs Created" if Immigration Office is Attracted

Gyeonggi Province is expected to generate up to 1 trillion won in economic benefits and create over 4,000 jobs if it successfully attracts the 'Immigration and Immigration Management Agency.'

According to data from the 'Analysis of the Necessity and Economic and Social Effects of Attracting the Immigration Agency to Gyeonggi Province,' conducted by the Gyeonggi Research Institute over three months from November last year to the end of January this year, the economic impact of attracting the Immigration Agency to Gyeonggi Province is projected to reach up to nearly 1 trillion won, including production inducement effects of 182.1 billion to 515.2 billion won and value-added inducement effects of 121.9 billion to 453 billion won. Additionally, if established as a control tower encompassing immigrant-related functions, employment creation is expected to reach between 1,477 and 4,198 jobs.

The report particularly analyzed that Gyeonggi Province has several advantageous locational conditions compared to other regions for attracting the Immigration Agency.

First, the report evaluated Gyeonggi Province as the optimal 'testbed' for various immigration policy experiments, as it is home to the largest number of foreign residents nationwide, totaling 660,000 as of December 2023.

Gyeonggi Provincial Government

Furthermore, the province's advantages include ▲superior transportation infrastructure such as Incheon International Airport, Incheon Port, and Gimpo International Airport ▲high work efficiency due to proximity to the Ministry of Justice, other ministries, and the Presidential Office ▲the largest number of immigration and foreigner-related institutions among local governments ▲and high policy acceptance among local residents due to continuous multicultural city-related policies, all of which make Gyeonggi Province more favorable than other regions for attracting the Immigration Agency.

Currently, six cities and counties within the province?Ansan, Gimpo, Goyang, Hwaseong, Gwangmyeong, and Dongducheon?have expressed their intention to attract the Immigration Agency. These local governments are actively engaged in various attraction activities, including forming dedicated organizations, holding forums, and submitting proposals for the Immigration Agency to the Ministry of Justice.

By region, Ansan City has entered the competition by designating a multicultural village special zone and establishing a Foreign Resident Support Headquarters; Gimpo City emphasizes its potential as an international city along with convenience facilities and residential environment; and Goyang City highlights its metropolitan transportation network and urban infrastructure.

Hwaseong City promotes its growth potential as a location for large corporations and advanced companies; Gwangmyeong City emphasizes transportation accessibility such as KTX and its central location in a foreigner-dense area; and Dongducheon City leverages its multicultural-friendly environment as a former U.S. military base non-return area.

Geum Cheol-wan, Director of the Gyeonggi Province Labor Bureau, stated, "Gyeonggi Province is densely populated with settled foreigners, short-term circulating foreign workers, and seasonal workers, making it a place where various immigration policies can be experimentally implemented through the establishment of the Immigration Agency." He added, "We will actively pursue attracting the Immigration Agency by holding forums to build public consensus among residents and proposing the establishment of the agency to the government."

Meanwhile, the Gyeonggi Province Mayors and Governors Council delivered a joint petition titled ‘Joint Proposal for the Establishment of the Immigration and Immigration Management Agency in Gyeonggi Province’ to the Presidential Office, the National Assembly Speaker’s Office, and the Ministry of Justice on the 7th.