Hiring Foreigners
Employment of foreigners
Requirements for hiring foreign workers
1
Hiring foreign workers with a Non-Professional Employment (E-9) visa
- It is permitted if all or part of the necessary manpower cannot be recruited from among the domestic workforce (Except for cases where domestic workers introduced by a job security agency was not hired two or more times without justifiable reasons).
- The business or place of business must fall into the category of business permitted to hire foreign workers specified by Foreign Workers Policy Committee.
- The employer must not transfer-out local workers based on employment adjustment from 2 months before the application for employment of domestic manpower until the date of issuance of the employment permit.
- The employer must not have any unpaid wages from 5 months before the date of issuance of the employment permit until the date of issuance of the employment permit.
- The employer must be enrolled in employment insurance and industrial accident compensation insurance, also known as workers’ compensation insurance, if the business or workplace subject to the Employment Insurance Act and the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act.
- In the case of businesses and places of business employing foreign workers, the employer must be enrolled in the departure guarantee insurance or trust (Article 13 (1) of the Act on the Employment of Foreign Workers) and a guarantee insurance against unpaid wages for foreign workers (Article 23 (1) of the Act on the Employment of Foreign Workers).
2
Hiring foreign workers with a Work and Visit (H-2) visa
- It is permitted if all or part of the necessary manpower cannot be recruited from among the domestic workforce.
- All requirements for hiring foreign workers with a Non-Professional Employment (E-9) visa must be met by the employer.
- The employer must be operating a business or place of business that falls under any of the following
- a business or place of business in the construction industry determined by the Foreign Workers Policy Committee in consideration of the current status of the temporary workers’ labor market, possible infringement of employment opportunities of domestic workers, the size of the place of business, etc.; or
- a business or place of business in the service, manufacturing, agricultural, or fishing industry determined by the Foreign Workers Policy Committee in consideration of the characteristics of each industry.
Employment of foreigners
Foreigners can work in Korea depending on their purpose of entry and the type of visa they’ve obtained. The first thing you should do, if you are a foreigner looking for work in Korea, is to discuss with your family whether it is necessary for you to get a job, what kind of work would be suitable for you, and where you will use your wages.
Check whether you can work in Korea with your visa with the Information Center for Foreigners(www.hikorea.go.kr / ☎ 1345).