The Ministry of Justice in South Korea has announced that South Korea is set to launch a “workation” visa starting in 2024.
Nairametrics learns that this visa will commence a trial period by allowing foreign nationals to travel to Korea for employment to promote a prolonged stay in Korea.
According to the Ministry, the introduction of this workation visa is expected to boost economic activity as high-income foreign nationals explore different regions of Korea, offering an opportunity to enhance the global promotion of the country.
“Workation,” coined from work and vacation, signifies a modern working trend where individuals sustain their work routine during extended travel. Recently, European, Central and South American and Southeast Asian countries introduced workation visas for digital nomads.
Korea lacked such visas before, requiring foreign nationals interested in working and travelling to obtain a tourist visa, and limiting stays to under 90 days.
Details of the visa program
The recently proposed workation visa, slated for launch on the first day of 2024, enables foreign nationals participating in workation in Korea to stay for up to one year, extendable for an additional year. Here are some details of the visa program:
- The visa is for individuals who are affiliated with foreign companies in the same industry for over a year.
- The visa extension can also apply to their families, excluding children aged 18 or older, and the children of accompanying family members.
- Applicants must have an income exceeding twice Korea’s gross national income from the previous year.
- Additional requirements include obtaining personal medical insurance and home evacuation coverage exceeding 100 million won ($7,750).
- Workation visa recipients are barred from local company employment or participating in for-profit activities in Korea; a separate work visa is necessary for profit-related endeavours.
- Applicants can apply for the workation visa at Korean embassies abroad, and individuals currently on short-term stays in Korea can change their visas if they meet the specified requirements.
Other immigration plans to come
Meanwhile, the ministry also revealed the fourth edition of its policy plan concerning foreign nationals, slated for implementation in 2027.
This plan involves establishing an immigration office to create a comprehensive, government-wide system for promoting immigration policy.
The main goal is to streamline the development of strategies that effectively manage the inflow and integration of immigrants.
Additionally, to prevent social exclusion of vulnerable immigrants, like women and children, a system allowing all foreign children to apply for birth registration, irrespective of their residence status, will be introduced.
This aligns with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recommendation for a universal birth registration system.
The fourth edition of the foreign nationals-related policy plan sets out five goals: promoting economic and regional development through immigration; establishing a safe and orderly society; fostering social integration among people and immigrants; respecting the human rights values of immigrants; and establishing a foundation for immigration administration in line with global standards, according to the justice ministry.
Simultaneously, the government disclosed its plan to decrease the number of illegal aliens from 420,000 to 200,000 by promoting a five-year plan to halve illegal stays.