Immigration of a everlasting sort to South Korea jumped by 50.9 p.c final yr, the second greatest surge among the many 38 member international locations within the Group for Financial Cooperation and Growth.
In an OECD report titled “Worldwide Migration Outlook 2024,” launched final week, a report 6.5 million individuals moved to the 38 international locations that make up the membership of the OECD final yr, up 10 p.c from 2022. The USA was the highest vacation spot nation, including 1.18 million lawful everlasting residents, adopted by the UK, with 746,900. Germany with 692,700 and Canada 471,700.
South Korea noticed 87,100 long-term, permanent-type immigrants settle right here in 2023, up from 57,800 the earlier yr, marking a 50.9 p.c leap, in keeping with the report. The surge was second to the UK, which reported 52.9 p.c enhance from the earlier yr’s 488,400.
“Everlasting-type” immigrants additionally embody those that modified their standing from a short lived to a everlasting one.
Korea noticed a pointy rise of 47 p.c in household migration in 2023 — 18,000 individuals — because of the rise in F-6 visa holders for spouses of Korean nationals by 45 p.c to 14,400 individuals.
In seasonal migration, Korea noticed a significant enhance. Particularly, 25,539 individuals arrived right here as seasonal staff in 2023, up 212 p.c from the earlier yr.
In accordance with the OECD report, this uptrend was led by the introduction of a brand new seasonal program for agricultural and fishery staff in 2021, which granted 25,500 visas in 2023 in contrast with 8,200 in 2022.
Immigration guidelines had been additionally eased for seasonal staff in 2021, in keeping with native experiences.
The Korean authorities has carried out varied insurance policies to introduce extra immigrant staff, in a bid to handle the dearth of individuals prepared to do sure kinds of work and amid the nation’s declining and quickly growing old inhabitants.
Korea expanded the quota for the nonprofessional migrant staff from the 16 international locations underneath the Employment Allow System, with the E-9 visa, to 165,000 this yr, up from 120,000 final yr. E-9 visa holders can at present work in agriculture, fisheries, manufacturing, building sectors, eating places serving Korean meals, motels and resorts, forestry and mining.
In August, 100 caregivers from Philippines arrived in Seoul underneath the E-9 visa in a joint six-month pilot program by means of the top of February.
