This file photo, taken March 6, 2020, shows illegal immigrants queuing up at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, to voluntarily leave the country. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — The Ministry of Justice revealed last week that it had formulated new guidelines to make it mandatory for the staff of immigration offices to acquire consent from permanent residents when they investigate unregistered migrants.
The guidelines, which went into effect this month, also stipulate that immigration office employees should not use abusive or discriminative language with such foreigners.
In addition, when immigration officers visit the workplaces or residential locations of unregistered migrants to investigate the legitimacy of their residence, they should disclose their affiliated organization, name, and purpose of investigation and obtain consent from the permanent residents or managers concerned.
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea recommended in August last year that the Justice Minister set up a procedure in which immigration office employees check whether or not consent was given by permanent residents and managers when they investigate the workplaces or residential locations of unregistered migrants.
The state human rights watchdog also recommended that the Justice Minister prevent immigration officers from conducting investigations or searching homes without consent.
Religious and human rights groups also have called for practices to be changed, citing a string of incidents in which foreign workers have died while running from immigration officers who used false identities and visited their homes without advance notice.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
