Seasonal migrant workers. (image: Yanggu County Office)
SEOUL, Aug. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — The government has decided to provide foreign workers who cannot return to their homeland due to a lack of flights amid the spread of the coronavirus the opportunity to work at agro-fishery villages for up to three months.
This plan is part of efforts to help foreign workers make ends meet as well as to address the labor shortage of agro-fishery villages.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor recently announced that it will allow foreign workers who have had their period of stay expire but are unable to return to their homeland due to a lack of flights amid the COVID-19 pandemic, to work in seasonal jobs at agro-fishery villages for up to three months.
The beneficiaries are foreign workers who have had their period of stay expire after entering the country on E-9 visas, but are unable to return home due to halted or reduced flights amid the outbreak of the coronavirus.
In more detail, the foreign workers who are entitled to benefit from this plan are those whose period of either expired or will expire during the period between April 14 and Aug. 31.
This plan, however, will be applied only to foreign workers who stay here legitimately, being less than 50 days after their period of stay is extended or their period of leave is suspended by the Ministry of Justice.
Foreign workers who are interested in working seasonal jobs at agro-fishery villages should submit an application by accessing the foreigner employment permit system or visiting an employment center by Sept. 7.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
