Korea's population committee announces plans to benefit foreigners, parents

The Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy will welcome more foreigners and give additional childcare benefits to deal with Korea's plummeting population.

Rep. Na Kyung-won, vice chief of the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy, announces the committee's plans at a meeting on Thursday. [YONHAP]

The Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy will welcome more foreigners and give additional childcare benefits to deal with Korea's plummeting population.

"We aim to create a non-discriminatory environment for those giving birth and raising children, and will also come up with effective immigration policies to attract foreigners," the committee said in a statement on Thursday.

A team that oversees all immigration policies will be created next year to map out mid- to long-term plans. The team will be led by people from the Immigration Policy Reform Division under the Ministry of Justice.

Starting next year, work experience requirements for E-7 visas will be eased. Foreigners who apply for the visa now need to have work experience of five years or more if they don't already have a master's or bachelor's degree, which will be lowered to three years.

Those working in Korea now with a non-professional E-9 visa for five years or more are eligible to change to an E-7-4 extended stay visa, the requirement for which will be cut to four years. The quota for the visa change was 2,000 this year, and will be expanded to 5,000 people next year.

Other immigration policy changes the government is considering to implement next year includes creating a new E-7-S visa. The visa will be issued to those working in tech and other innovative industries.

The government is also considering allowing foreigners under student visas to work longer hours. Those under D-2 and D-4 visas can only work part-time jobs for a maximum of 25 hours a week now, but that will be increased to 30 hours for students excelling in their schoolwork.

Plans to issue long-term residency visas, the F-2, or permanent residency visas, the F-5, to foreigners living in areas where the population is steeply decreasing is also being considered.

The government also aims to change policies to encourage childbirth.

Employees with children ages 8 or younger can work reduced hours — between 15 and 35 hours per week — for one year, and the age ceiling will be increased to children of 12 years or younger next year.

Plans to give benefits to companies who hire employees to make up for additional work that needs to be done due to others working reduced hours will be announced in the second half of next year.

BY CHO HYUN-SOOK, LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]