Universities call for stronger career support as caregiver visa program lacks applicants
Korean universities say clearer career paths, job placement support and simpler visas are needed to attract international students to caregiving as Korea faces an aging population.
A student practices conversational Korean with a classmate pretending to be an older adult in a wheelchair during a caregiving class at Seojeong University in Yangju, Gyeonggi, on Sept. 3.PARK SANG-MOON
Two years ago, Korea expanded eligibility for caregiver visas to international students as it looked abroad to address a growing shortage of caregivers amid its rapidly aging population.
Yet the pathway has attracted few applicants, with just 41 international students holding D-2 student visas or D-10 job-seeking visas applying for caregiver visas as of September this year, according to government data.
The Ministry of Justice said it approved all 41 applications, suggesting that the low uptake reflects a lack of applicants rather than a high rejection rate.
Universities say the scheme needs to do more than offer a route into visa issuance and employment. They are calling for better links between training and jobs, broader employment opportunities and simpler visa procedures to help international students establish long-term careers in caregiving.
As of late last year, 26,596 foreigners were eligible to work as caregivers in Korea, according to government data. However, 7,623, or about 29 percent, were tracked as working at long-term care facilities. The figures include foreign residents holding F-series visas.
Chinese nationals accounted for the largest share of foreign workers at such facilities, at 6,268, followed by Japanese nationals at 486, Americans at 416, Canadians at 119, Taiwanese at 50 and Vietnamese at 32. Another 252 workers came from other countries.
Making caregiving a viable career
To work as caregivers, applicants must pass the national caregiver certification examination, which has a prerequisite of 320 hours of lessons and fieldwork.
International students holding D-2 student visas or D-10 job-seeking visas must have graduated from an associate or bachelor's degree program in Korea and demonstrate Korean proficiency at Level 3 or higher on the Test of Proficiency in Korean or through the Korea Immigration and Integration Program. Holders of F-5 permanent resident visas and F-6 marriage migrant visas face no additional requirements under the scheme.
A health care worker adjusts the straps of a knee brace on the leg of a patient.GETTY IMAGES
Experts say the visa pathway could encourage more international students to study caregiving and enter the work force, but that practical support is needed to help them build careers in the field.
“It is essential that we help international students see caregiving as a sustainable profession with a stable income and working environment, rather than simply as a means of finding employment or obtaining a visa,” said Prof. Woo Soo-hee at the Department of Nursing at Kyung-in Women's University.
The university is one of 21 government-designated institutions that officially launched foreign caregiver training programs this year. Woo said practical support, including education subsidies, job placement assistance and help for graduates entering the work force, would make the profession more attractive.
“In particular, international students would feel less uncertain about their future if universities and long-term care facilities worked together to connect education with employment,” she said.
Expanding employment options
Some educators say foreign caregivers should eventually be allowed to work in a wider range of settings, including as care assistants at geriatric hospitals.
“Allowing students who have passed the national caregiver certification examination to work as care assistants at geriatric hospitals in areas facing population decline could create more employment opportunities,” said Prof. Jeong In-suk, head of Seojeong University's caregiving training center. She cited Dongducheon in northern Gyeonggi as one example of an area that could benefit.
Foreign caregivers in the work forceCHUN YU-JIN
Under the current E-7 visa scheme, foreign caregivers may work at designated care facilities for older adults but are not permitted to provide home-based care through visiting care services.
While some have called for allowing foreign caregivers to provide home-based services, some say the move requires careful consideration.
“Unlike care provided in facilities, home-based care requires caregivers to work independently in clients’ homes, making Korean communication skills, cultural understanding and the ability to respond appropriately to different situations especially important,” said Prof. Kim Young-mi, director of the Global Human Resource Office at Kyung-in Women's University.
“Expanding foreign caregivers’ roles to include home-based care is worth considering in the long term, but I believe we need to proceed cautiously for now,” she said.
Streamlining the system
In the near term, experts say the government should simplify administrative procedures to make the visa scheme easier for students and care facilities to navigate.
“Simplifying the visa application process for both students and care facilities would be helpful,” Prof. Jeong said, noting that applicants must submit multiple documents, including proof of a facility's financial status.
According to Jeong, students typically receive their E-7 visas about a month after submitting their applications with the required documents from their prospective employers. Students apply after receiving job offers from care facilities.
The low number of applicants also reflects the fact that most international students did not come to Korea intending to become caregivers, said Prof. Kim Hak-jae, head of Seojeong University's Department of Global Elderly Care Welfare.
“Unless there are special circumstances, students tend to pursue the careers they originally planned for themselves,” Kim said, emphasizing the importance of establishing programs specifically designed to train foreign caregivers.
National certificates of caregivers acquired by international students at Seojeong University are seen displayed at the university's classroom in Yangju, Gyeonggi, on Sept. 3.PARK SANG-MOON
In the longer term, Woo of Kyung-in Women's University said Korea needs a more structured system to support foreign caregivers' career development and help them settle in the country.
“For example, we need a system that recognizes the experience and practical skills of workers who have performed their duties diligently for a certain period and completed job training,” Prof. Woo said.
She added that the government should regularly assess foreign caregivers' job satisfaction and turnover rates, along with the quality of care and service users' satisfaction, and use the findings to inform future policy.
“Korea needs to approach the foreign caregiver policy as part of its response to an aging society, rather than merely as a policy to recruit foreign workers.”
