Busan to Host 'Foreign Student Job Fair' to Mitigate Local Talent Crunch

In a bid to alleviate the talent shortage among local enterprises and provide job opportunities for foreign students, the City of Busan has announced the commencement of a 'Foreign Student Job Fair.' Scheduled to take place at 1:30 pm on 20th July at the Busan Port International Exhibition & Convention Center (BPEX), the job fair aims to facilitate the settling of foreign students in the region.

This job fair is connected with the 'Regional Outstanding Talents (F-2-R),' a pilot project currently being promoted to counter population decline and invigorate the local economy.

The job fair is hosted by the city of Busan, jointly managed by the Busan Foundation For International Cooperation and the Busan Economic Promotion Agency, and sponsored by the Busan Immigration Office.

At the job fair, around 16 companies from Busan, including those permitted by the regional specialized visa, and foreign students from local universities, are expected to participate, with an estimated attendance of over 300 individuals.

The job fair will involve on-site job interviews between companies and students to facilitate immediate hiring, and online recruitment (https://jobfair.busanjob.net/F2) will also be simultaneously carried out. This provides applicants unable to attend physically to apply online from July 21 to August 4.

Moreover, additional services such as makeup, hairstyling, and professional photography for job seekers will be provided.

Students wishing to participate in the job fair can pre-register through a QR code or visit the venue on the day of the event.

The 'Regional Outstanding Talents' pilot project issues a residence (F-2-R) visa to talented foreign talents who have graduated from a university in Busan and meet certain criteria, under the condition that they reside and work in population-decreasing areas (Dong-gu, Seo-gu, and Yeongdo-gu).

When a foreign talent finds a job, the Mayor of Busan Metropolitan City will issue a recommendation letter to change their residency status to a residence visa. After a review by the Ministry of Justice's Immigration Office, the foreigner will be issued a residence visa, allowing them to live and work in Busan.

Since being selected by the Ministry of Justice in December last year, Busan has been implementing the pilot project in the Dong-gu, Seo-gu, and Yeongdo-gu districts. Out of the allocated quota (quota) of 110 people, 38 have been recruited so far.

The city of Busan stated, "As employment is a key requirement in the regional specialized visa, this job fair will be a great opportunity for companies experiencing a shortage of workforce and foreign students wishing to settle in Busan." The city pledged to continue efforts to ensure that talents produced by local universities can settle in Busan.