Extending sojourns for foreigners who have become victims of sexual or domestic violence will no longer require confirmation from the Justice Ministry, officials said Tuesday.
The revised immigration law ordinance was passed at a Cabinet meeting ― presided by acting Prime Minister Choi Kyung-hwan ― earlier in the day, effectively simplifying the process.
Foreign victims of these crimes can apply for a stay extension until he or she is compensated. But the current law states that the application for extension must be confirmed by the justice minister, prolonging the process.
Generally victims submit their application to the local offices of the Korea Immigration Service, many of which are far from the government complex in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, where the ministry is located.
“Applying for and extending stays in Korea is delegated to local heads of immigration offices, but extending the stay for sex and domestic violence victims is an exception. We decided that the regulation should be revised to fit the actual situation the foreigners face,” said an official from the ministry’s department of policies on foreigners.
He said the move was expected to speed up the process, although he said it was hard to predict how much time will be saved.
Local authorities have been stepping up protection of foreign victims of domestic violence.
Gyeonggi District Police Agency recently announced plans to monitor foreign families of which a member has been accused of domestic violence for six months. It will also cooperate with district officials to collect information on such violence.
The revised ordinance will additionally allow foreign sailors seeking to work on international cruise ships to acquire an E-10 visa, which had previously been issued only to sailors working in coastal shipping.
