New tracks expand K-Tech Pass, offering long-term stay, education, housing and tax benefits to foreign tech professionals The Ministry of Justice building in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province (Herald DB) The Korean government will introduce a more flexible evaluation system for foreign technology professionals. Applicants will be assessed not only by academic, career and income credentials, but also by technical expertise and the hiring needs of Korean companies.The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Thursday they will begin operating two new tracks under the K-Tech Pass program: a qualitative evaluation track and a track linked to government programs for recruiting overseas scholars.Until now, foreign professionals hired by Korean companies in advanced industries had to meet quantitative requirements.These included holding a master’s or doctoral degree from one of the world’s top 100 engineering schools, having work experience at one of the world’s top 500 companies or a global research institution, or earning at least three times Korea’s per capita gross national income.Under the newly introduced qualitative evaluation track, applicants will be assessed based on both quantitative and qualitative criteria.The evaluation will consist of 65 points for quantitative criteria and 35 points for qualitative criteria. Candidates recruited by small and medium-sized enterprises or mid-sized companies will receive an additional 10 points.The qualitative assessment will review factors such as the applicant’s technical expertise and the need for the position at the hiring company.“We will continue to expand support so that top-tier foreign talent can settle stably at Korean companies,” said Lee Min-woo, director general for industrial policy at the Industry Ministry.The K-Tech Pass is a government program that provides settlement support, including visa, education, housing and tax benefits, to highly skilled foreign professionals in advanced industries such as semiconductors and biotechnology.The program is linked to the F-2-T visa, a residency status created for foreign professionals in advanced technology fields. Family members of F-2-T visa holders are also eligible for long-term stay benefits.The Industry Ministry also said it has agreed with the Justice Ministry to waive the previous requirement for applicants to have at least Level 1 on the Test of Proficiency in Korean, or TOPIK, when applying for the top-tier visa.The government will also introduce a separate track linked to overseas scholar recruitment programs run by government agencies.The linked programs include the Industry Ministry’s program to attract top-tier overseas talent, the Health Ministry’s talent acquisition program for the biotechnology sector and the Korea AeroSpace Administration’s global talent development program.