Reporting on foreign workers’ job status made easier

By Yun Suh-young

Employers of foreign employees will be able to report changes in the status of their workers’ employment more easily starting today.

Employers can report end of contracts, firing or employees absconding from work places immediately through the Internet, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Employment and Labor said in a statement Sunday.

Until now, employers of foreign workers with E-9 and H-2 visas had to report such changes by visiting both the employment center at local governments and the immigration service center. Such a method of notification caused inconvenience to employers.

The employers were also fined if they did not report such changes within 15 days of the status change.

Employers now only need to visit the website, www.hikorea.go.kr, to report the change at once. The new system transfers the report to both ministries automatically.

From December, reports may also be made at www.eps.go.kr, the Employment Permit System website.

“We will continue to provide services convenient to small and medium sized companies in hiring foreign workers. We plan to adopt an online registration system for the application of E-9 non-professional work visas next year to ease the visa issuing process,” the ministries said.