Foreign tech workers to get easier visa screening in South Korea
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
Applicants will be assessed on both quantitative and qualitative criteria.
PHOTO: AFP
- South Korea will introduce a flexible evaluation system for foreign tech workers, assessing both quantitative credentials and qualitative factors like technical expertise and company hiring needs.
- The K-Tech Pass program now includes a qualitative track and a route linked to government overseas scholar recruitment programs, easing visa screening requirements.
- Applicants recruited by small or mid-sized companies get extra points, and the government has waived the TOPIK Level 1 Korean language requirement for the top-tier visa.
AI generated
SEOUL – The South Korean government will introduce a more flexible evaluation system for foreign technology professionals.
Applicants will be assessed not only on academic, career and income credentials, but also on technical expertise and the hiring needs of South Korean companies.
The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said on July 1 that they will begin operating two new tracks under the K-Tech Pass programme: a qualitative evaluation track and a track linked to government programmes for recruiting overseas scholars.
Until now, foreign professionals hired by South Korean companies in advanced industries had to meet quantitative requirements.
These included holding a master’s or doctoral degree from one of the world’s top 100 engineering schools, having work experience at one of the world’s top 500 companies or a global research institution, or earning at least three times South Korea’s per capita gross national income.
Under the newly introduced qualitative evaluation track, applicants will be assessed on both quantitative and qualitative criteria.
The evaluation will consist of 65 points for quantitative criteria and 35 points for qualitative criteria. Candidates recruited by small and medium-sized enterprises or mid-sized companies will receive an additional 10 points.
The qualitative assessment will review factors such as the applicant’s technical expertise and the need for the position at the hiring company.
“We will continue to expand support so that top-tier foreign talent can settle stably at Korean companies,” said Lee Min-woo, director general for industrial policy at the Industry Ministry.
The K-Tech Pass is a government programme that provides settlement support, including visa, education, housing and tax benefits, to highly skilled foreign professionals in advanced industries such as semiconductors and biotechnology.
The programme is linked to the F-2-T visa, a residency status created for foreign professionals in advanced technology fields. Family members of F-2-T visa holders are also eligible for long-term stay benefits.
The Industry Ministry also said it has agreed with the Justice Ministry to waive the previous requirement for applicants to have at least Level 1 on the Test of Proficiency in Korean, or TOPIK, when applying for the top-tier visa.
The government will also introduce a separate track linked to overseas scholar recruitment programmes run by government agencies.
The linked programmes include the Industry Ministry’s programme to attract top-tier overseas talent, the Health Ministry’s talent acquisition programme for the biotechnology sector and the South Korea AeroSpace Administration’s global talent development programme. THE KOREA HERALD/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK
