The government will select at least 500 outstanding foreign talents each year to grant benefits for permanent residency or naturalization. Seasonal migrant workers in agriculture and fisheries, previously used only during peak seasons, will be allowed to work for longer periods. To ensure that the inflow of foreign labor does not disadvantage Koreans in the domestic labor market, a wage floor will also be set.
Minister Jung Sung-ho of the Ministry of Justice held a briefing at the Government Complex Gwacheon on the 3rd and announced the "2030 immigration policy future strategy." The strategy encompasses the direction and standards of immigration policy through 2030, including attracting high-level talent from overseas, revitalizing the livelihood economy, safe border management, social integration, and protecting the human rights of foreigners.
The Ministry of Justice crafted an immigration policy to move away from attracting low-skilled, low-wage foreign workers amid rapidly changing industrial and technological environments and low birthrates and an aging population. The Ministry of Justice projected that by 2030, the number of foreign nationals staying in Korea will reach 3.5 million, or about 8% of the Korean population.
The Minister said, "More than 2.7 million foreigners are currently in Korea, and about 350,000 of them are in an illegal stay status," adding, "Without foreign workers, it would have been difficult to maintain our country's competitiveness, and the Ministry of Justice has prepared a future strategy that helps livelihoods and the economy."
◇ Securing outstanding foreign talent from 32 universities; nurturing mid-level skilled foreign workers at junior colleges
The government decided to secure more outstanding foreign talents who can help Korea's economic growth.
Currently, the "Top-Tier visa" program, which links stay benefits and settlement support programs for top talent in eight high-tech industries such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), future mobility, robotics, and defense, is in operation.
Through last month, 20 Top-Tier visas had been issued. The government plans to expand this visa to the science and technology research field and issue a total of 350 by 2030, including 250 for high-tech industries and 100 for science and technology.
In addition, an "expedited track for permanent residency and naturalization" is currently applied to science and technology talent from five universities: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), and University of Science and Technology (UST).
A new "K-STAR visa" track will be established, expanding this to 32 universities including general universities. Outstanding talent recommended by universities will receive residency (F-2) status immediately upon graduation, and the time required to obtain permanent residency (F-5) will be shortened by at least three years. Through this program, the government will secure more than 500 outstanding foreign talents annually, up from the current 100.
A K-CORE visa for cultivating professional technical personnel will also be introduced. This system will nurture and utilize foreign workers with mid-level technical skills through manufacturing-related departments such as automotive manufacturing and precision machinery at domestic junior colleges.
◇ Guiding foreign settlement in areas with declining populations… using foreigners in care work
The government also designed a "regional immigration package program" to enable foreigners to come to areas with declining populations for purposes such as study, find employment, and settle.
Small business owners in depopulated areas where there are no Koreans available to work are struggling because they cannot meet the foreign employment requirement that "at least one Korean must be employed for three months or more." In such cases, the government will introduce a special provision as a two-year pilot project to ease foreign employment.
The seasonal worker program for foreigners will also be overhauled to expand the supply of skilled labor in agriculture and fisheries. The "agriculture and fisheries skilled visa" will be revised to allow long-term employment by assessing completion of agricultural and fisheries skills training. Seasonal work in the "outsourced farm work" model, where an agricultural corporation rotates through farms in the province to perform farm tasks, will also be expanded.
An official at the Ministry of Justice explained, "The agriculture and fisheries sector faces an acute labor shortage, making foreign seasonal workers key personnel, but the stay period for seasonal workers is only eight months," adding, "On the ground, there is a desire to continue employing seasonal workers who have built up skills."
The Ministry of Justice, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, will push to expand and revamp the visa system for foreign care workers. It will systematically train care workers through specialized degree programs at leading regional universities. If a foreign national staying in Korea obtains a caregiving license, the status will be changed to caregiver (E-7-2), and activities outside the licensed scope will also be permitted.
◇ Foreign work visas, currently 10 categories and 39 types… reorganized into three: high-, mid-, and low-skilled
Currently, foreign nationals must obtain one of 10 categories, 39 types of work visas to work in Korea, ranging from E-1 (professor) to E-10 (seafarer employment). As new visas were created sporadically in response to demands from industry and academia, the system became complex.
The Ministry of Justice will reorganize them into three skill levels: high-, mid-, and low-skilled. High-skilled will include researchers (currently E-3), mid-skilled will include conversation instructors (E-2), and low-skilled will include the Employment Permit System (E-9-1).
The Ministry of Justice will operate a tentative "foreigners' wage advisory committee." The committee will set and announce a reasonable wage floor requirement. The measure is intended to prevent wage leveling-down among Koreans in industries such as shipbuilding and to keep skilled workers from leaving.
◇ Systematically estimating an appropriate scale of foreign inflows… blocking high-risk foreign entries
In addition to work visas, the government will also estimate an appropriate scale of foreign inflows that accounts for study and training, family immigration, business and investment, and tourism. It will analyze social costs such as crime and illegal stays and the spillover effects on regional economies to assess the economic impact.
A certification system will be introduced to encourage corporations to hire legally staying foreigners rather than those in illegal stay. Conscientious companies that manage foreign stays well will be given incentives, such as higher grades and additional quotas for hiring foreigners.
Immigration administration will also be revamped by using digital tools and artificial intelligence (AI) so the public can handle tasks more conveniently. A unified public service platform integrating HiKorea and the visa portal will be created, and there will be a full shift from in-person petitions to electronic petitions. Document preparation and electronic applications will be handled through lawyers or immigration agencies.
To prepare for an era of 100 million annual entries and exits, the government will introduce AI- and biometric authentication-based risk assessment and eligibility screening. It plans to upgrade the Korea Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA) and the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) to quickly classify the risk levels of arriving foreigners, block high-risk individuals, and conduct more precise screening.
◇ Easing anti-immigration sentiment and prejudice against ethnic Koreans
The Ministry of Justice will establish a conflict management and prevention system to ease anti-immigration sentiment across society and prejudice against ethnic Koreans and to enhance mutual understanding between Koreans and foreigners. It cited disputes over the construction of the Daegu mosque and anti-China protests in downtown Seoul.
The government will also restrict additional hiring by employers who delay paying wages to foreign workers.