Stay permit requirements for undocumented foreign children to be eased from February

Children of Afghan evacuees who had worked with the Korean government in Afghanistan participate in physical activities on a playing field at the Leadership Campus of the National Human Resources Development Institute in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, Sept. 13, 2021. Joint Press Corps

By Lee Hae-rin

Undocumented children of foreign nationality who reside in Korea will have temporarily eased requirements to obtain stay permits from next month.

The Ministry of Justice announced that it will ease the regulations on stay permit requirements for such children here to cover their rights to education more comprehensively, starting next month and carrying through until March 2025, Thursday.

The policy will take effect temporarily, considering the possibility that it could be abused for the purpose of illegal immigration, the ministry said.

Before the policy change, only high school graduates, middle and high school students who were born here and lived here for more than 15 years were qualified to apply for a permit to stay here long-term.

However, with the temporary measure, the government will allow children who were born here, high school graduates, and elementary, middle and high school students who entered the country while under the age of six, and lived here for more than six years, to apply for a long-term visa.

Also, children who entered the country while over the age of six and lived here for more than seven years, who attend elementary, middle and high schools, or have graduated from high school, will be eligible to apply.

The government will grant D-4 visas to children attending schools to support their studies. After graduating from high school, they will be granted other visas that enable them to continue their education or pursue careers.

A significant portion of the 3,000 undocumented minors attending elementary, middle and high school here will benefit from the changed policy, the ministry said.

Details, including the required documents and application procedure, are available at the Korea Immigration Service website and Hi Korea website.

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