Lee Hyo-sik is Finance Desk editor at The Korea Times. He manages finance-related stories on macroeconomics, banks, stocks, bonds, crypto etc. He is passionate about covering what's happening in Korea's financial industry and explaining it to both Korean and non-Korean readers. You can reach him at leehs@koreatimes.co.kr. Your insights and feedbacks are always appreciated.
Growing number of foreign students overstaying visas
By Lee Hyo-sik
Many foreigners entering Korea with a student visa morph into illegal aliens as they overstay their visas to work here illegally.
According to data submitted to Rep. Lee Jung-hyun of the governing Grand National Party (GNP) by the Ministry of Justice, Wednesday, the number of non-Koreans, who originally arrive as students enrolled in Korean language institutes operated by domestic universities but then later became undocumented aliens, totaled 4,338 as of April.
The figure is equivalent to 26.4 percent of the 16,681 foreign students currently registered at 175 domestic universities nationwide in a Korean language program.
By nationality, Chinese accounted for 78.3 percent of the total, or 3,437, followed by Mongolians with 281, Uzbekistanis at 277 and Vietnamese at 224.
A total of 165 foreign students have enrolled in a Korean language program administered by Chungcheong University in Cheongwon, North Chungcheong Province. Of the 165 students, 159 were found to have overstayed their visas. Calvin University in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, and Serabol University in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, also saw 69 and 63 of their language program trainees become illegal sojourners, respectively.
“An increasing number of foreigners are taking advantage of loopholes in the nation’s immigration screening system. Schools should also be held accountable for the numerous illegal aliens here by inviting unqualified students from overseas purely to generate income,” Rep. Lee told The Korea Times.
He stressed that for Korea to become a truly multicultural society, it should make an all-out effort to avoid allowing undocumented foreign residents to live here and to set up an effective immigration screening process.
An immigration official also said that more people from China and Southeast Asian countries are coming here as language students enrolled in local universities because it is much easier for them to get a student visa than a worker visa.
“But even after their visas expire, they continue to stay here to work and make money. The universities are partially responsible for the increase in undocumented foreigners because they do not properly screen and select qualified students,” he said.
The official said in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the immigration office will strengthen the screening of student visa applicants and crack down on those who stay here illegally. “Students enrolled in language programs are more likely to overstay their visas than those studying for Master’s and Ph.D. degrees.”
By Lee Hyo-sik
불법체류 학생 수 점점 늘어
학생 비자를 받아 국내에 들어온 많은 외국인들이 한국에서 일을 더 해 돈벌기 위해 비자 만기일을 넘기면서 불법체류자가 되고 있다.
관련 자료에 따르면 국내 대학에서 운영하는 어학당에 등록되어 있다가 후에 불법체류자가 된 외국인 학생수가 4월로 4,338 명이다. 이는 현재 국내 175개 대학의 어학당에 등록되어 있는 16,681명의 외국 학생의 26. 4%를 차지한다. 국적별로는 가장 많은 비율인 78. 3%를 차지한 중국인들로 그 수는 3,437명이고 281명의 몽골인, 277명의 우즈베키스탄인, 그리고 224명의 베트남인이 뒤를 있고 있다. 충청북도 청원 소재 충청대학교 한국어 어학당에 등록되어있는 165명의 외국국적의 학생들 중 159명이 비자 기간을 넘긴 것으로 밝혀졌다.
이 같이 불법체류자의 수가 늘어나는 것은 점점 더 많은 외국인들의 이민 단속의 허점을 노리는 것과 학교들이 수익을 늘리기 위해 자격이 불충분한 학생들을 끌어들이고 있는 것이 이에 대한 이유로 알려졌다.
출입국관리소 관계자는 출입국 관리소가 교육과학기술부와 협력하여 학생비자 심사와 불법체류자 단속을 강화할 것이라고 말하고 어학당에 등록한 학생들이 석사나 박사학위를 위해 공부하는 학생들보다 불법체류자로 전환하는 경우가 많다고 밝혔다.