Vietnamese people 'living illegally' in Korea: What to do to return home?

Mr. Tong Hai Nam, Deputy Director of the Department of Overseas Labor Management, Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, informed about policies for Vietnamese workers residing illegally in Korea who want to return home.

PV: Sir, does Korea have any support policies?

+ According to Korean regulations, foreigners residing illegally in this country who voluntarily register to return home between April 1 and September 30 will not be restricted from re-entering Korea, will be exempted from penalties, and will be allowed to return to Korea after being granted a visa by a Korean diplomatic representative agency abroad.

Vietnamese workers in Korea.

PV: Vietnamese workers residing illegally in Korea wonder what procedures they need to follow and which agency they need to contact to voluntarily register to return home?

+ There are two ways to register: Bring your passport or valid travel document and plane ticket to the immigration office at the Korean international airport to register for voluntary repatriation procedures.

Or they can contact the Vietnam Labor Management Office under the EPS program in Korea (phone number 02 393 6868) or the Vietnam Labor Management Board in Korea (phone number 02 364 1043/45) for detailed instructions on the declaration procedure.

PV: When returning home, do workers have to register with the authorities?

+ In Vietnam, after returning home, workers need to declare to the authorities according to the following steps: For those who have been decided to be administratively sanctioned, they must voluntarily declare their return to the country at the People's Committee of the commune, ward or town where they registered their permanent residence, and submit a photocopy of their passport or travel document.

For workers who have not been administratively sanctioned: Send a photocopy of your passport or travel document to the Overseas Labor Center (No. 1 Trinh Hoai Duc, Dong Da District, Hanoi; phone: 04 3734 6751).

PV: After September 30, 2016, if illegal workers in Korea still do not voluntarily register to return home, what sanctions will they face under Vietnamese and Korean law?

+ The Korean judicial police regularly conduct raids on illegal foreign workers. If discovered, they will be fined up to 40 million won (equivalent to 768 million VND - PV) or imprisoned for up to 12 months. If they do not pay the fine, they will be forced to undergo labor reform to pay the fine. After that, these workers will be deported back to their home country.

On the Vietnamese side, those who do not voluntarily register to return home during the amnesty period will be punished according to Decree 95/2013/ND-CP from October 1, 2016, with a fine of up to 100 million VND.

According to PLO