‘Pre-announcement system for the total amount of work visas’ that announces the amount of work visas issued in advance

The Korean government has decided to announce in advance the scale of issuance of major work visas by field to increase predictability for companies and foreigners seeking employment in Korea.

The Ministry of Justice announced that it will pilot the 'Work Visa Total Amount Advance Announcement System' for the first time this year.

According to research results from the Ministry of Justice, manpower shortages are expected in most industries by 2026. Among them, it is predicted that the manufacturing industry will have a manpower shortage of at least 276,000 people and the social welfare industry will have a manpower shortage of at least 215,000 people. The number of people introduced in each field this year is as follows.

<Visa for Professional Personnel> The Ministry of Justice has decided not to limit the total amount of fields where the introduction of professional personnel has been allowed as before. Professional visas refer to all visas excluding the three types of non-professional visas, such as seasonal worker visa (E-8), non-professional employment visa (E-9), and seafarer employment visa (E-10).

<New areas to be introduced> Recognized need to introduce foreign workers with expertise and skills ▲Nursing care workers (E-7-2, limited to international students graduating from domestic universities; number to be determined later) ▲Aircraft and aircraft parts manufacturers (E-7-3, We decided to introduce three fields, including ▲Transmission and Electricity (E-7-3, within 300 people per year), on a pilot basis within the annual total.

<Skilled Workers Point System> This year, the total number of foreign workers eligible to obtain a skilled workers point system visa (E-7-4) is set at 35,000 per year.

<Visa for non-professional workers> Visas for non-professional workers were decided by reflecting the decisions made by the relevant committee or consultative body. The total number of seasonal worker visas (E-8) was set at 49,286 in the first half of the year, 165,000 non-professional employment visas (E-9) per year, and 22,000 seafarer employment visas (E-10).

The Ministry of Justice, along with related ministries, plans to monitor the influx of visas by visa and identify and respond to adverse effects such as excessive influx of foreign workers and illegal stay. After a pilot operation this year, the system is scheduled to be implemented in earnest from 2025.

An official from the Ministry of Justice said, “It is expected that it will help improve the predictability of companies seeking to hire foreign workers and foreign workers and students seeking employment in Korea, and will help resolve public concerns about the indiscriminate introduction of foreign workers.”

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