'New Immigration and Entry Policies' Lower Residency Barriers for Skilled Technicians
The threshold for long-term stay of highly skilled foreign workers is being lowered. The cap on the recruitment of skilled workers by construction companies will also be raised.
On the 27th, the Ministry of Justice announced that it will improve the skilled worker (E-7-4) visa system and introduce a visa and stay policy proposal system in accordance with the 'New Immigration and Immigration Policy' announced last September. The new immigration policy aims to selectively attract excellent foreign talent to respond to the demands of local governments facing extinction crises and industries suffering from labor shortages, while strengthening social integration.
The follow-up measures announced that day are also intended to help companies experiencing chronic labor shortages secure skilled workers stably. Foreigners who have worked in Korea for more than five years on non-professional employment or visiting employment visas must meet Korean language requirements (social integration program) to apply for the long-term stay skilled worker visa (E-7-4).
However, the industry pointed out that many skilled foreign workers fail to meet the Korean language requirements due to lack of time. Accordingly, the Ministry of Justice decided to operate a special exception until the end of 2026, allowing applicants to fulfill the Korean language requirements within two years after priority conversion to skilled worker status. However, family invitations are only possible after meeting the Korean language requirements, and if the requirements are not met within two years after conversion to skilled worker status, the stay period can be extended by only six months.
The Ministry of Justice also decided to expand the number of skilled workers that construction companies can hire. The current standard is 0.1 persons per 100 million KRW of annual construction amount, and an additional standard of 0.4 persons per 100 million KRW of construction capability evaluation amount will be introduced. This reflects industry opinions that small construction companies with fluctuating annual construction amounts find it difficult to secure the necessary foreign workers stably.
Accordingly, for a company with an average annual construction amount of 1 billion KRW and a construction capability evaluation amount of 1.5 billion KRW, the number of workers that can be hired will increase from 1 to 6 based on the construction capability evaluation standard. The Ministry of Justice plans to pilot a consultative body this month and fully operate a public-private joint review organization from next year. The Ministry stated, "We will continuously communicate with the economy and industry to understand the demand for visa and stay policies and promote balanced system improvements."
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