[Exclusive] Ministry of SMEs and Startups to Expand 'E-7-1 Visa Recommendation' for Foreign Professionals to Include Overseas Master's and Doctoral Degree Holders

Expansion from International Students in Korea to Outstanding Master's and Doctoral Talent Abroad
Reviewing Target Country Criteria, Fast-Track Process, and New Visa Introduction
Considering Expansion of Recommended Occupations from Science and Engi

The government is moving to expand and reform the employment recommendation system for foreign professionals (E-7-1). The aim is to broaden the scope of the system, which has so far focused on international students in Korea, to attract outstanding master's and doctoral-level talent from overseas universities. To this end, the government is preparing criteria for selecting target countries for talent recruitment, streamlining related administrative procedures, and launching a comprehensive review to expand the list of recommended job categories.

According to the government on November 26, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency have recently commissioned a research project to improve the E-7-1 employment recommendation system in line with these objectives. The E-7-1 employment recommendation system is designed to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) facing labor shortages due to difficulties in hiring domestic workers to employ foreign professionals. International students who wish to work in one of the 24 job categories recommended by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, based on contracts with domestic SMEs, can receive an employment recommendation letter after verification by the ministry. Using this letter, the student can then apply for an E-7-1 visa at immigration offices.

Last year, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups secured the authority to recommend employment in 24 job categories after consultations with the Ministry of Justice. Once the ministry issues the employment recommendation letter, the Ministry of Justice is responsible for the final review and issuance of the E-7-1 visa. The recommended job categories include IT and electrical and electronic fields. Foreign students who have obtained or are about to obtain an associate degree or higher in Korea typically hold a D-2 (student) or D-10 (job-seeking) visa.

If these students succeed in finding a job in one of the designated categories, they must change their visa status to the E-7 series in order to work legally. Within this current framework, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups plans to improve the E-7-1 visa recommendation process to further attract outstanding overseas talent.

The ministry will first establish criteria for selecting target countries in order to devise a strategy for attracting high-caliber master's and doctoral-level talent from abroad that matches the technology and R&D needs of SMEs. The goal is to identify at least five countries with a strong supply of talent, high connectivity with Korean industries, and stable systems for verifying academic and career credentials. Quantitative evaluation indicators such as supply capacity, industrial connectivity, ease of verification, administrative stability, and cultural compatibility will be established and scored, with the top five or more countries designated as priority targets for recruitment.

The introduction of a 'fast-track' process is also under consideration. The aim is to identify bottlenecks in the current five-step visa recommendation process-from application submission to external review and employment recommendation-and reduce potential administrative delays in the overseas talent recommendation process. The ministry also plans to strengthen the verification system to prevent the submission of false academic or career information. Various approaches are being discussed, including utilizing certification information from overseas public institutions or universities and establishing models for cooperation with international degree verification agencies. In addition, the ministry has begun analyzing the necessity and feasibility of introducing a new visa category for attracting foreign talent.

There are also discussions about expanding the list of recommended job categories, which has traditionally focused on science and engineering, to include humanities fields. This decision takes into account the demand for foreign professionals in humanities areas such as overseas sales and product planning. Some universities have reportedly conveyed, albeit unofficially, that there is significant demand among international students in humanities for employment in Korea. A government official said, "We are actively considering adding job categories that are not currently included in the employment recommendation visa," adding, "Expanding the range of recommended job categories could increase the system's effectiveness."