On the 11th, A, a Turkish national, met in Daerim-dong, Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, and recently received a G-1 visa from the Ministry of Justice. The G-1 visa is issued to foreigners who must stay in the country for humanitarian reasons, primarily targeting refugee applicants or patients and their guardians seeking medical treatment. A said he received this visa through an asylum application.
A refugee is defined as a foreigner who cannot receive or does not wish to receive protection from their own country due to issues of race, religion, or other factors. A entered Korea on a tourist visa and applied for asylum to earn money while staying long-term. He said, "I heard from a broker that if you apply for asylum, you can stay long-term by extending your stay."
A applied for asylum by portraying himself as someone persecuted politically for opposing the current Turkish government and received the G-1 visa. Drawing on his previous experience as a chef, he is currently preparing to work in a Turkish restaurant.
There have been increasing cases of foreigners misusing the G-1 visa who wish to settle or work in the country. The G-1 visa is issued to foreigners who need to remain in the country temporarily for various reasons. The stay can be extended until the situation is resolved, and they can work to support themselves.
Asylum applications are the most common reason for foreigners seeking to apply for the G-1 visa to stay long-term in the country. Mediation for issues such as medical treatment, childbirth, or wage disputes requires immediate departure once the reason for stay is resolved, but asylum applications can take a long time to process and there are no limits on the number of applications. It typically takes about two years just for evaluation, and if one continues to apply and litigate, they can remain in the country.
Asylum applications are generally made before the expiration of the existing visa, although some undocumented individuals may apply after paying a fine as long as their period of illegal stay is not too long. While the probability of being recognized as a refugee decreases with a longer illegal stay, it is said that recognition can occur if the stay is relatively short.
After receiving a G-1 visa through an asylum application and undergoing evaluation by the Ministry of Justice, individuals can receive an F-2-4 visa if recognized as refugees. However, the actual rate of obtaining the F-2-4 visa is quite low compared to the number of applicants. According to the Ministry of Justice, since the introduction of the refugee system in 1994, the cumulative number of asylum applications until last year was 122,095. There were 57,090 people who completed the refugee evaluations, and only about 2.7%, or 1,544 people, were granted refugee status.
An administrative official who requested anonymity said, "The low recognition rate for refugees is influenced by the Ministry of Justice's strict evaluation criteria, but the primary reason is the sharp increase in applications from foreigners who are not actual refugees but wish to stay and work in the country." This means that the larger the sample size, the smaller the percentage.
He also noted, "If applicants report on time every 3 to 6 months after applying for asylum, they can continuously extend their stay." He said, "Many of the applicants are likely to be false refugees aiming to reside and work in the country."
According to the legal community and foreign worker support organizations, foreigners wishing to apply for asylum pay brokers between 1 million won and 3 million won. These brokers, known as "storytellers," help applicants fabricate convincing reasons to become recognized as refugees and assist with paperwork and submissions.
B, a 25-year-old woman of Russian nationality, also stated that she paid a Russian broker in the past to create a story. The broker encouraged her to pose as a homosexual, leveraging the fact that Russia severely punishes homosexuality, and to apply for asylum. Through this process, B received a G-1 visa and stayed in the country for over a year before marrying a Korean and changing her status again.
Some administrative officers teach foreigners ways to apply for the G-1 visa through loopholes. C, a Cambodian who entered the country on an E-9 non-professional employment visa, was introduced to an administrative officer through a colleague as the expiration of his visa approached. The officer advised him to attend anti-government protests frequently held in front of the Cambodian embassy and to document his participation with photographs.
A legal community insider noted, "The number of applications for asylum visas by E-9 visa holders has surged dramatically in the last 2 to 3 years after the COVID-19 pandemic. If strict management is not enforced regarding brokers' involvement or the submission of false documents, the number of foreigners aiming to stay long-term through asylum applications will inevitably increase."
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