Notice on the Exemption of Fees and Fine Waivers for Foreign Residents in Designated Disaster Areas in Yeongnam
Target Areas and Eligibility Criteria
The support is available for foreign residents living in the eight regions designated as special disaster areas as follows:
- Sancheong County (Declared on March 22)
- Uljin County, Uiseong County, and Hadong County (Declared on March 24)
- Andong City, Cheongsong County, Yeongyang County, and Yeongdeok County (Declared on March 27)
To be eligible for this support, individuals must have continually maintained their foreign registration (including domicile reports) since the declaration of the disaster in these areas.
Applicable Services and Support Details
The Ministry of Justice has decided to waive fees for various residency-related services and nationality applications until April 30. The services benefiting from this waiver include:
- Permission for activities outside of residency status
- Workplace change approval
- Granting or changing residency status
- Extension of residency period
- Naturalization permission
- Nationality recovery applications
- Notification of (re)acquisition of nationality
- Nationality retention notifications
Additionally, fines will be waived for those who were unable to extend their residency due to wildfire damage within the designated period. Even in cases of violations related to permits and notifications, fines or penalties will not be imposed until April.
For more related information, refer to this report from KBS.
Support Measures for Foreign Seasonal Workers
To assist foreign seasonal workers who have faced difficulties in maintaining employment due to wildfire damage, priority will be given to permits for transferring to other agricultural businesses. Furthermore, if the affected farms resume operations, efforts will be made to expedite visa issuance for a seamless re-employment process.
Additional Support Plans
As of March 28, the Ministry of Justice plans to extend the same support to any areas that may be designated as special disaster zones during the support period, beyond the eight regions mentioned above. Foreign residents in those areas are encouraged to actively take advantage of these support measures.
Please note that this information is accurate as of the writing date, and government policies may change over time. This message serves as a simple information source and does not provide legal interpretations or judgments.
[For further inquiries, you can consult through the 1:1 Counseling Board.]