South Korea expands quota for skilled foreign workers

This year's quota for E-7-4 visas for skilled workers was initially set at 5,000, but the South Korean Ministry of Justice decided to increase it to 30,000 due to the growing severe labor shortage.

On June 29, the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) of South Korea announced that the Korean government will expand the annual quota for E-7-4 visas for skilled workers to 30,000 by the end of this year, a 15-fold increase compared to 2022.

"Solving the labor shortage faced by various industries is an important short-term task. We are working to accept more foreign workers to fill vacant positions," Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon said at a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Yoon Suk-yeol.

Foreign workers who have worked in manufacturing, construction or agriculture in Korea for at least 5 years can apply for an E-7-4 visa .

The annual quota for this visa category increases from 1,000 in 2020 to 1,250 in 2021 and 2,000 in 2022.

This year's quota was initially set at 5,000, but the MOJ decided to increase it further due to the growing severe labor shortage.

According to the South Korean Ministry of Labor , job vacancies in labor-shortage industries reached 185,000 in the third quarter of 2021, nearly double that of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began.

The MOJ added that the minimum number of years of relevant work experience required for an E-7-4 visa application will also be reduced to four years from the current five years.

According to MOJ officials, the ministry will extend the current five-month residence permit issued to foreign farm workers by three months./.

Tran Quang (Vietnam News Agency/Vietnam+)

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