The following table shows the summary of migrant workers' eligibility for insurance coverage by visa category
Migrant workers’ eligibility for coverage by 4 major SISs | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
4 major SISs
Visa category
|
NP (national pension) |
HI (health insurance) |
EI (employment insurance) |
WCI (workers’ compensation insurance) |
Industrial Trainee (D-3) | X | O | X | O |
General Trainee (D-4) | X | O | X | O |
Business Supervisor (D-7) | △ | O | △ | O |
Professional Employment (E-5) | △ | O | △ | O |
Non-Professional Employment (E-9) | O | O | △ | O |
Visiting & Joining Family (F-1) | X | O | △ | O |
Resident (F-2) | O | O | O | |
Overseas Koreans (F-4) | O | O | △ | O |
Permanent Resident (F-5) | O | O | O | |
Working Visit (H-2) | O | O | △ | O |
* O: mandatorily-covered △: voluntarily-covered or subject to the Principle of Reciprocity X: neither mandatorily-covered nor voluntarily-covered
Migrant workers whose visa category fall under D-3 (Industrial Trainee), D-4 (General Trainee), F-1 (Visiting & Joining Family) aren’t eligible for NP coverage pursuant to Article 55 of the Enforcement Regulations of the National Pension Act, while migrant workers whose visa is categorized as D-7 (Business Supervisor) or E-5 (Professional Employment) are eligible for NP coverage if they come from a country subject to the principle of reciprocity*. Especially, migrant workers, as from Indonesia and Kazakhstan, who have paid NP premiums here in Korea may be reimbursed in accordance with the said principle when they leave Korea (Contact the National Pension Service for more details).
※ Countries from which migrant workers are eligible for NP coverage in accordance with the Principle of Reciprocity* include Sri Lanka, Indonesia, China, Philippines, Thailand, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, etc.; it’s expected that more countries will be subject to the said principle with Korea. As of now, however, workers from such countries as Iran, Nepal, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan, etc. are excluded from NP coverage based upon the said principle.
* What is the Principle of Reciprocity? The Principle of Reciprocity refers to a principle under which migrant workers’ eligibility for NP coverage would be determined in accordance with the eligibility standard for Koreans in their countries of origin. If a Korean national is not mandatorily covered by public pension in a certain country, the National Pension Service will not cover foreign nationals from that country in a corresponding manner. Accordingly, there shall be no discrimination in paying pensions or any other relevant benefits to migrant workers with NP-vested entitlement based on the principle.
Migrant workers with visa category corresponding to F-2 (Resident) or F-5 (Permanent Resident) who have the same entitlement to engage in job seeking as eligible Koreans shall be mandatorily covered by EI, while migrant workers with such visa categories as E-5 (Professional Employment), F-1 (Visiting or Joining Family), F-4 (Overseas Koreans), etc. acknowledged to return to their home country when an employment contract has expired shall be eligible for voluntary EI coverage on the condition that they apply for the said EI coverage. No workers except for the foregoing eligible workers or any other workers with eligibility for EI coverage subject to the Principle of Reciprocity shall be excluded from EI coverage (e.g. D-3 (Industrial Trainee), D-4 (General Trainee), etc.).
A migrant worker who wants to be covered by EI scheme shall submit an Application for EI-Coverage as Migrant Worker Status prescribed in the Enforcement Regulations of the Employment Insurance Act, together with a copy of his/her Certificate of Alien Registration, to a job center with jurisdiction (under the MOEL).