The visitor employment visa (H-2) and the overseas Koreans visa (F-4), which have been issued to foreign nationals of Korean descent who wish to stay in Korea, will be unified into the F-4. The sectors in which holders of H-2 and F-4 visas could work had been different, but going forward, even with an F-4 visa, they will be able to work as general laborers at construction sites and earn money.
The Ministry of Justice said on the 11th that it will implement the long-sought "integration of the F-4 status for overseas Koreans" for Korean communities at home and abroad starting on the 12th.
Until now, foreign nationals of Korean descent who sought to engage in economic activity in Korea mostly entered on the F-4 overseas Koreans visa and the H-2 visitor employment visa.
The F-4 visa allows most economic activities freely but does not permit employment in general labor. It also allows relatively free, long-term stays in Korea. It is issued to former Korean nationals and their direct descendants. The Kim Dae-jung administration created the F-4 visa in 1997, right after the IMF foreign exchange crisis, to attract domestic investment from relatively affluent Korean communities in the United States and Japan.
With an H-2 visa, one must find work mainly in general labor positions and may stay in Korea for up to 4 years and 10 months. For compatriots from China and former Soviet countries to obtain an F-4 visa, they must prove income, education, and work experience. If they did not meet the requirements, an H-2 visa was issued.
As of Nov. last year, there were 861,185 overseas Koreans residing in Korea. F-4 visa holders numbered 556,208 (64.6%), the largest share, and H-2 visa holders numbered 84,382 (9.8%), the third largest. Permanent resident visas (F-5) totaled 160,468 (18.6%), the second largest.
The reason F-4 visa holders are the most numerous is that many compatriots from China and Russia who entered Korea on H-2 visas changed their status to the F-4 visa, which allows longer stays in Korea. If they obtain a national technical qualification or complete the social integration program, they can change visas. However, there has been a problem in that a "Joseonjok auntie" who obtained an F-4 visa in this way could not work as a restaurant employee, which is classified as general labor.
With this measure by the Ministry of Justice, compatriots can obtain the F-4 visa regardless of their country of origin. In addition, among the 47 occupations from which F-4 visa holders had been restricted, employment in 10 occupations—such as construction general laborers, manual packers, general laborers for loading and unloading, store arrangers, mining general laborers, and parking attendants—will be permitted first.
The Ministry of Justice also decided to ease income requirements when applying for the permanent resident visa (F-5) for those with excellent Korean-language skills and outstanding volunteer service, to support their stable settlement in Korea. Depending on Korean proficiency and enrollment or completion of the social integration program, the length of stay will be granted differently, from 1 to 3 years.
The Ministry of Justice expressed hope that "this measure will resolve controversy over discrimination by country of origin and become a historic turning point enabling 860,000 overseas Koreans staying in Korea to settle stably."