Busan City Selected for Ministry of Justice's Metropolitan Visa Pilot Project
Full-Scale Efforts to Attract Global Talent in Future Industries
Semiconductors, Secondary Batteries, and Future Automotive Parts
Busan City will directly attract 1,000 international students over the next two years. This is possible because metropolitan governments can now establish their own visa issuance requirements and bring in foreigners needed for their regions.
The project to transfer visa authority to local governments, aimed at securing and nurturing settlement-type foreign professionals in response to population decline and extinction, is gaining momentum.
Busan City (Mayor Park Hyungjun) announced on the 3rd that it has been selected for the Ministry of Justice’s ‘Metropolitan Visa Pilot Project,’ thereby establishing a foundation for training region-specific foreign professionals.
The Metropolitan Visa Pilot Project allows metropolitan governments to design visa issuance requirements that reflect their region’s industrial characteristics and workforce needs, which are then approved and implemented by the Ministry of Justice.
Sixteen cities and provinces nationwide participated in this application, and 14, including Busan, Seoul, Incheon, Daegu, and Gyeongbuk, were selected.
With this selection, financial requirements for visa issuance for international students in future new industries will be eased, and internships during the academic term will be permitted.
Through this project, Busan City plans to attract 1,000 international students to local universities over the next two years, with the goal of nurturing global professionals in the fields of semiconductors, secondary batteries, and future automotive parts.
To achieve this, Busan City will strengthen cooperation with local universities and industries, and build a foundation for employment and settlement, establishing a support system that enables outstanding overseas talent to develop expertise and settle in Busan.
In particular, the city plans to link this initiative with ongoing international student support policies, such as the Regional Innovation-Centered University Support System (RISE Project) and the Glocal University Project.
Busan City hopes that this pilot project will revitalize local universities facing a population decline crisis and enhance their educational competitiveness. It also expects that international students will settle in the region after graduation, leading to an increase in the local youth population.
The fields of semiconductors, secondary batteries, and future automotive parts are among Busan’s key strategic industries, and can now be linked with major regional industrial policies, such as the Opportunity Development Zone in Jang-an District, Gijang, designated last year.
Attracting international students is expected to secure the professional workforce needed for local industries and establish a virtuous cycle for regional economic development.
Park Hyungjun, Mayor of Busan, said, “Being selected for this project is an important opportunity to secure Busan’s future growth engine and promote mutual development between local universities and industries. We will devote our efforts to sustainable regional development and overcoming population decline through proactive policies to attract global talent.”
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