Korea to further increase quota for Pakistani immigrants

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The former Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs and Special Representative for Labor Issues Ms. Kang Kyung-Wha has said that the quota for Pakistani immigrants has increased over the years; 16% increase from 2021 to 2022 alone, and the Republic of Korea will look at further increasing it by opening diverse employment sectors.

In a meeting with the Prime Minister’s Advisor on Overseas Pakistanis Ayub Afridi in Islamabad on Thursday, she said that Pakistanis are excellent workers as reviewed by Korean employers and the illegal stay ratio of Pakistanis in Korea is very low as compared to other Countries.

Ms. Kang Kyung-Wha said that Korean construction companies realize the efficiency and experience of Pakistani construction workers and we would want them to work for us. These companies understand the need to hire construction workers from Pakistan and other countries are also making a similar request.

Hence, the government will look forward to Pakistani Embassy in Seoul to play an active role and take up the case with Korean Labor Ministry.

The Korean minister said that the government is looking to relax entry rules as soon as the new COVID variant -omicron subsides.  She was hopeful that student visas will be issued quickly in the future.

Ms. Wha promised to actively take up the case of pre-departure trainings and look into certification of technical training institutions in Pakistan.

Furthermore, she asked for Pakistani support in the upcoming elections of Director General International Labor Organization (ILO) and assured her closest assistance to Pakistan, especially to non-western women, if selected as leader of the ILO. She said that the ILO needs to broaden its horizon to increase its coverage and effectiveness.

In his remarks, Ayub Afridi said that opening of sectors like construction, agriculture, etc., will be beneficial to both the Counties. He said that both countries can also cooperate in the education sector.

The advisor said that Pakistan has already sent teachers to the Middle East and can also send them to Korea.