Gangwon-do to Select 770 International Students Through 'Metropolitan Visa' Program

Local Governments Design Relaxed Visa Conditions to Attract Needed Talent
Selected for the Ministry of Justice’s ‘Metropolitan Visa Pilot Project’ on April 2
Outstanding Graduates from Provincial Universities Can Work Locally, Easing Labor Shortages

Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (Governor Kim Jin-tae) announced on the 3rd that it has been finally selected in the ‘Metropolitan Visa Pilot Project,’ a residency policy system reflecting regional demand and characteristics, organized by the Ministry of Justice. The metropolitan visa is a system in which local governments directly design visa systems for specific residency qualifications to attract necessary talent to the region.

A view of the Gangwon Provincial Government Office. Photo by Gangwon Provincial Government Office

The metropolitan visa pilot project, launched for the first time this year, allows each metropolitan local government to choose and implement one visa type from either the student visa (D-2) or the specific activity visa (E-7).

Gangwon Province designed the system with the student visa (D-2) and submitted the application to the Ministry of Justice on February 7th. After review by the Ministry of Justice’s Metropolitan Visa Deliberation Committee on March 31st, it was finally selected on April 2nd.

The Gangwon metropolitan visa pilot project plans to select a total of 770 foreign students through the metropolitan visa over two years from 2025 to 2026, in connection with local industries and educational institutions.

Gangwon Province will cooperate with 13 universities in the region to focus on attracting foreign students majoring in fields related to future industries (semiconductors, biohealth, future mobility, future energy, food tech, ICT) and the tourism industry, nurturing them into outstanding talents to solve the local labor shortage and expand the influx of global talent.

This metropolitan student visa significantly relaxes the residency requirements for foreign students, such as financial capability and part-time employment, reflecting the requests of universities in the province.

For the existing student visa, proof of financial capability of more than 16 million KRW was required for admission to universities located in provinces, but this requirement has been relaxed to more than 8 million KRW, half the previous amount, and after entry, it can be replaced by maintaining an average monthly balance of 620,000 KRW annually.

For students who meet the basic requirements (credits and Korean language proficiency), part-time employment hours are allowed up to 30 hours per week for bachelor’s degree programs, and internship activities are permitted if they meet conditions such as completing level 4 or higher of the social integration program.

Gangwon Province expects that operating this metropolitan student visa will help increase foreign students’ social experience and expand settlement in the region through employment at companies within Gangwon after graduation, thereby helping to meet the local community’s labor demand shortage.

Furthermore, it plans to actively support social integration programs to assist foreign students’ residency and settlement and coexistence with the local community.

Governor Kim Jin-tae of Gangwon Province stated, “Through the selection in this metropolitan visa pilot project, we expect Gangwon’s foreign talent attraction policy to take a leap forward,” and added, “We will continue to support efforts to revitalize the local economy and strengthen global education and industrial competitiveness.”