Vietnamese professionals in Korea nearly double over 4 years

Over the past four years, the number of Vietnamese professionals holding Korea's E-7-1 professional visa has nearly doubled, according to data submitted to Rep. Kim Joon-hwan of the Democratic Party of Korea by the justice ministry. As of August, there were 3,572 Vietnamese nationals with the visa, representing a 1.84 times increase from the 1,938 who held it in 2022. The E-7-1 visa is granted to foreign nationals working in designated professional fields like information technology and robotics.

Indian nationals also saw a rise, increasing 1.46 times to 1,014 during the same period. However, Chinese nationals holding the visa declined, falling from 2,213 in 2022 to 1,566. American E-7-1 holders also experienced a decrease, dropping from 1,471 to 1,355.

In a separate visa category, Chinese nationals dominate the semi-professional E-7-2 visa, which covers areas such as caregiving. They made up 80.6 percent of the 10,759 E-7-2 holders. While Rep. Kim Joon-hwan viewed the influx of tech talent from Vietnam as a positive sign, he emphasized the need for Korea to improve working and living conditions for these workers to generate greater synergy.