By Park Si-soo
Employers will be able to relocate their foreign workers to various workplaces without prior approval of the Ministry of Justice and long-term foreign residents will be allowed to reenter the country more easily.
These are part of the government’s moves to make immigration rules friendlier for foreigners, the Ministry of Justice said Sunday.
“This is intended to reduce the administrative burden of employers of foreign workers and at the same time to boost the use of foreign workers by domestic firms,” immigration authorities said in a statement.
Under the revised decrees that go into effect from today, companies employing foreigners on E-1 (professorship), E-2 (foreign language instructor), E-3 (researcher), E-4 (technology transfer), E-5 (professional employment) and E-6 (arts and performance) visa types will no longer have to report the relocation of their workers to subsidiaries.
The new decrees eliminate the fine of up to 2 million won Korean employers face when they fail to report workplace changes for their foreign employees to the ministry within 15 days.
However, among E-6 visa holders, those providing entertainment services at hotels, bars and night clubs will be excluded from the change.
At the same time, foreigners staying for more than three months will be able to freely travel overseas from Dec. 1 as long as they return within one year after their departure.
Currently, foreigners, classified as “long-term residents,” are required to obtain reentry visas before taking an overseas trip _ regardless of its duration.
Nearly 900,000 people will benefit from the change, the ministry said.
“The amendment will help ease the inconvenience suffered by foreign workers and residents to a great extent,” said Seok Dong-hyeon, a commissioner at the Korea Immigration Service.
The ministry also plans to simplify immigration checks for foreign participants in Expos and other international events, making it easier for foreign delegates to obtain an entry visa. Fast-track immigration checkpoints at airports will also be available, it added.
“We will continue to amend rules that stand in the way of the country’s hosting of major internal events,” said a spokesman for the ministry, adding that the ministry is working to revise related laws.
Asylum seekers here are another beneficiary group. The new decrees oblige the ministry to complete its screening process on a refugee claim within six months of application.
For time-efficient and consistent handling of refugee issues, the Seoul Immigration Service will exclusively deal with all refugees.
To ensure an independent and fair assessment, half of the 10 members of the Refugee Recognition Committee will be staffed with experts from civic groups. The ministry is considering allowing a civilian expert to chair the committee.
A total of 2,803 asylum seekers have come to Korea from nearly 40 countries _ the largest group is from Nepal, followed by China, Myanmar, Pakistan and Nigeria.
