The government will expand the visa eligibility for research students (D-2-5) and researchers (E-3) to attract global talent in the field of science and technology.
On the 1st, the Ministry of Justice announced in a press release that domestic universities ranked among the top in global university evaluations can invite international undergraduate students in science and engineering fields as research students (D-2-5). The global university evaluations refer to domestic universities ranked within the top 200 in the Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings (THE Ranking) or within the top 500 in the QS World University Rankings by the UK evaluation agency QS.
The existing research student visa was only allowed for holders of master's or doctoral degrees, or international undergraduate students invited by specific research institutions (such as the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology). However, other domestic universities were unable to invite international undergraduate students, making it difficult to recruit overseas research personnel. In response to these concerns, the visa issuance targets will be expanded.
For holders of foreign master's degrees, the researcher (E-3) visa, which previously required more than three years of experience, will also have its eligibility broadened. The Ministry of Justice has allowed holders of foreign master's degrees who graduated from world-class universities or are authors of outstanding academic papers to be invited as researchers (E-3) immediately, even without experience. This applies to first authors, co-authors, and corresponding authors of papers indexed in the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) or the Arts & Humanities Citation Index (A&HCI).
An official from the Ministry of Justice stated, "We plan to gradually expand the issuance of research-related visas to attract excellent global talent in science and technology," adding, "We will promote balanced improvements to the visa system through consultations with related ministries and the scientific and technological community."
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