By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter
One year of working and traveling in France officially begins for Koreans from Jan. 1.
And those who wish to make sure they get a visa had better hurry, for it will be the first 2,000 applicants who will receive one.
The Working Holiday Program, signed between Korea and France early this year, is available to everyone between 18 and 30 years of age.
What makes the program more appealing is that there are no language requirements.
Unlike countries that demand language skills, "There's no language requirement to apply. It is to work and to travel," Jean-Yves Lavoir from the Ministry of Immigration, Integration, National Identity and Development Partnership told reporters in Seoul earlier this month.
Applicants are expected to submit documentation including health insurance and proof of 2,600 Euro in support funds, but a complete list of detailed requirements isn't yet available, and the embassy staff told applicants to contact the French consular office in Seoul.
Lavoir, head of the ministry's professional immigration international affairs, reiterated the program doesn't suit those who wish to study in France.
"For those who wish to study in France in the future, I wouldn't recommend the working holiday program," Lavoir said.
The permit will expire within a year meaning participants must leave the country regardless of their status.
Furthermore, participants are forbidden from studying at any higher institute of higher education while participating in the program, he emphasized.
He added students with student visas would now have many advantages during their post-graduate period, being allowed to work.
The Working Holiday Permit is part of an upheaval within the French government, spearheaded by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, to attract more professional immigrant workers and effectively control illegal immigration.
Under the refined immigration policy, international students ― non-EU students enrolled in French high education ― are now given a six-month period for job-hunting in their fields of study and a year to work.
And their status can be renewed after a year, sometimes transferable to a "Skills and Talent" permit, depending on the level of their skills and professions. During their study, students are permitted to work a maximum of 80 hours per month.
Three-year Skills and Talent permit is aimed to facilitate the life for foreign skilled workers and their families, and one can renew it endlessly.
Another new immigration policy is the "Intra-company transfer" permit, aiming at facilitating the mobility of workers who are with international groups or companies.
For example, Korean workers of Samsung, LG, Daewoo, or French companies who are sent to France to work for a few years, would benefit from the permit, which will allow visa holders to stay three years ― currently one year ― and they are renewable.
Lavoir said they are a strong gesture from the French side that it would welcome not only tourists but also workers who wish to work legally in France.
France marks the first European country with which Korea operates the program. Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Canada are the four existing partners, and the Work English Study and Travel (WEST) Program with the United States will commence next spring.
France has also agreed to working holiday permit with Australia, Canada, Japan and New Zealand, making Korea its fifth working holiday partner.
The French Embassy can be reached by calling (02) 3149-4300 or emailing consulat@ambafrance-kr.org
[출처 : 코리아타임스]
