KOREA ANNOUNCES CERTAIN CHANGES REGARDING E-9 VISAS
2026-09-07 11:40:00 / News
The Foreign Workforce Policy Committee of the Republic of Korea has decided to include Kazakhstan in the EPS — Employment Permit System for foreign workers.
The recruitment of citizens of Kazakhstan is planned to begin in 2028.
Thus, the number of Central Asian countries participating in the EPS has reached four: Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan.
🏗 WHAT WILL CHANGE IN THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR?
Currently, citizens working in the construction sector under an E-9 visa are assigned to a specific site. Their transfer to another site is generally permitted only in limited cases, such as when construction work has been completed or suspended.
Under the new procedure, if the site to which a worker is planned to be transferred meets the requirements for an E-9 employment permit, the worker will be allowed to transfer to another site belonging to the same construction company, that is, the same employer.
The procedure is planned to apply starting with applications for E-9 employment permits under the fourth stage of 2026. During this stage, applications will be accepted from September 14 to 29, and the construction sector will also be included.
❗️This does not mean that an E-9 worker is granted the right to freely move to another company or employer. The flexibility applies only to transfers between construction sites belonging to the same employer.
🔗 Source: Ministry of Employment and Labor of the Republic of Korea