The ministry also said that the addition of new occupations to the E-7 visa category is expected to help Korea develop new emerging industries and to boost Korea’s international competitiveness in those sectors. (Ministry of Justice)
by Lee Yoonseo and Yoon Sojung
The government will open a new visa category for overseas workers who are specialized in new emerging industries, such as robotics, industrial safety management and e-commerce.
The Ministry of Justice announced that it will add more occupation criteria for eligible applicants for E-7 visas starting May 1.
The newly added occupations include technicians and researchers in robotics, people who work on industrial safety or danger management, and those who work in customer consultations, mainly in the international services sector.
The E-7 visa is issued to workers who have a contract with a public or private organization in Korea, and whose daily work activities have been specially designated by the Minister of Justice. Currently, a total of 82 occupations are covered by this visa category. It includes people who work in high-ranking managerial positions at companies, people who are specialized in certain areas, such as technical engineers or chefs, as well as highly-skilled workers, such as welders in the shipbuilding sector.
The Ministry of Justice explained the background of the latest measures by saying that, “Due to globalization in the economy and the expanded volume of the sharing economy, there have been voices saying that the existing employment permit visa system for overseas workers hampers competitiveness in new sectors as it lacks flexibility.”
The ministry also said that the addition of new occupations to the E-7 visa category is expected to help Korea develop new emerging industries and to boost Korea’s international competitiveness in those sectors.
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