Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon, who returned to Korea after meeting with top immigration policy officers in France, the Netherlands, and Germany, is accelerating the establishment of the Immigration Agency (tentative name), one of the key policy tasks of the Ministry of Justice. During the first half of the year, Minister Han plans to announce specific details on the establishment of the Immigration Office and the direction of immigration policy.
The Ministry of Justice also plans to review the ‘total employment visa system’ that can flexibly introduce foreign workers at an appropriate level and implement it in the second half of the year.
◇ Immigration Office, which has been emphasized since the inauguration of Han Dong-hoon, is on the right track in the first half of the year
According to the legal community on the 16th, the Ministry of Justice plans to present specific details and immigration policy directions for the establishment of the Immigration Office in the first half of the year by integrating the results of Minister Han’s overseas business trips from the 7th to the 15th and the activities of the Immigration and Immigration Management System Improvement Promotion Team (hereinafter referred to as the Promotion Team). am.
An official from the Ministry of Justice said, “It must be announced during the first half of the year,” and “Isn’t it clear when the minister makes an announcement? All doubts, including the amendment to the Government Organization Act, will be resolved.”
The Ministry of Justice is promoting the establishment of the Immigration Office, a control tower that comprehensively manages immigration policies scattered across the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, Ministry of Public Administration and Security, and Ministry of Employment and Labor, as a key task. From his inaugural address on May 17 of last year, Minister Han singled out the establishment of the Immigration Office as the Ministry of Justice’s priority project. .
Minister Han was accompanied by Lee Jae-yoo, head of the Immigration and Foreign Policy Headquarters, and Na Hyun-woong, head of the promotion team. Minister Han met with top immigration policy officers in France, Germany, and the Netherlands to discuss the achievements and strengths of immigration policies, cases and causes of failure, and decided to establish a cooperative system by opening a hotline between working-level officials.
Minister Han also said in an interview with those in charge, “There is no country that has perfectly succeeded in implementing immigration and migration policies, but there will be no country that can succeed in national management without a systematic immigration and migration policy in the future.”
The establishment of the Immigration Office, which is organized outside the Ministry of Justice like the Prosecutor’s Office, requires revision of the Government Organization Act. The government plans to make a legislative notice of the amendment during the first half of the year and submit it to the National Assembly. In the National Assembly, the amendment to the Government Organization Act, which was initiated by Rep. Lee Myung-soo and Kim Hyung-dong, respectively, is pending. Yoo Sang-jo, senior expert on the Public Administration and Security Committee, evaluated that the legislative purpose of the amendment was reasonable.
◇Restriction on low-wage workers through total employment visa system, expansion of professional manpower
As part of its immigration policy, the Ministry of Justice plans to implement a ‘pre-announcement system for the total amount of the annual employment visa’ in the second half of the year. To this end, on the 13th, it announced the service of ‘research on overseas cases and quantitative analysis for the introduction of the total employment visa system’. The service period is 5 months from the contract signing date, and the budget is 80 million won.
The total visa system is to determine the total number of visas that can be issued per year for a specific country or visa, taking into account the economic situation and security. Although it is still partially implemented for foreign worker (E-9) visas, the Ministry of Justice plans to implement a scientific policy by calculating an appropriate level of foreign employment based on data analysis.
An official from the Ministry of Justice said, “We want to dispel social concerns about the indiscriminate influx of low-wage workers while giving predictability to foreigners who wish to work in Korea through the total employment visa system.” We plan to ensure that workers are brought in at a level that does not infringe on employment opportunities and working conditions for locals.”
“We will implement an introduction target system for professional workers and skilled workers who are essential to maintaining industrial competitiveness, so that they can quickly enter and stay.”
Since the authority to issue visas is the authority of the Minister of Justice under the Immigration Control Act, policies such as limiting the total amount can be implemented without revising the law. However, in order to stably operate the system, the Ministry of Justice plans to implement the total amount system on a pilot basis in the second half of the year based on the results of research services, and then add provisions to related laws such as the Immigration Control Act after evaluation.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.