Foreign citizens who marry citizens of South Korea will need to have at least basic ability of Korean language. The country’s government announced on March 31, 2014 that only then foreign nationals will be able to stay in South Korea legally.
The Ministry of Justice stated that it will be imposing tougher restrictions when issuing F-6 visas for marriage immigrants. The new measures will be taken by the ministry in order to guarantee stability in living arrangements. In addition to that, this will help the country’s authorities to better deal with an increasing number of marriage immigrants. The new rules are expected to come into effect on April 1, 2014.
Under the new rules, foreigners who wish to come to live in South Korea after marrying locals will have to undergo a screen test in order to determine if they can speak at least a basic or higher level of the Korean language. Foreign nationals applying for visas will need to submit their Test of Proficiency in Korea scores or certificates from the language courses which have been recognized by the South Korean government.
Couples who are able to communicate with each other in another language will be exempt from the language-based screening. The ministry added that local people who earn less than 14.79 million won per year or do not have a stable residence cannot invite foreign spouses to South Korea.
Photo Credits: NY Times
