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Good practice Imported

Regional-Type Visa Pilot — Busan's Sector-Targeted International Student and Talent Programme

South Korea · Busan · See the South Korea profile · See the Busan profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 74% 57/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Selected in April 2025 as one of 14 regions in Korea's Local Government Visa pilot, Busan relaxed visa rules for international students in semiconductors, batteries and future-mobility programmes; about 300 of a 1,000-student two-year target had been approved by mid-2026.

~300 students
Students approved toward two-year target (by mid-2026)
1,000 students
Two-year enrolment target (by 2027)
30,000 students
2028 citywide international-student goal (by 2028)
Regional-Type Visa Pilot — Busan's Sector-Targeted International Student and Talent Programme

Details

Maturity
Pilot
Promoter
Busan Metropolitan City & Busan Immigration Service, with Korea's Ministry of Justice
Period
2025–2028 (pilot)
Keywords
talent attraction, migration policy, higher education, semiconductors, secondary batteries, future mobility

Context

In April 2025, Busan was chosen as one of 14 regions (from 17 applicants) for South Korea's Ministry of Justice Local/Regional-Type Visa pilot, which lets city governments customise visa eligibility to local industrial and demographic needs; operations began on 21 May 2025 under Mayor Park Hyung-jun.

Activities

The scheme relaxes financial requirements and allows term-time internships for international students enrolled in 14 partner universities' semiconductor, secondary-battery and future-mobility-component programmes, with Korean-language, housing and career-pathway support delivered alongside the Busan Immigration Service, Busan Global City Foundation, Busan Research Institute and the Busan Chamber of Commerce.

Results

Busan set a two-year target of 1,000 international students and a longer 2028 goal of 30,000 international students citywide, with 30% in engineering/science fields and a 40% regional-settlement rate. By its one-year mark in mid-2026, roughly 300 students had been approved for entry or stay extension toward the initial target.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Medium (€50k–€500k)
Time to results
Medium (1–3 years)
Staffing & skills
Busan Immigration Service, Busan Global City Foundation, Busan Research Institute, Busan Chamber of Commerce, 14 partner universities

Conditions for success

  • relaxed financial requirements and term-time internships for students in targeted strategic-sector programmes
  • Korean-language, housing and career-pathway support delivered alongside immigration processing

Common failure modes

  • only around 300 of the 1,000-student two-year target achieved at the one-year mark; national authorities plan annual performance reviews before deciding whether to expand or simplify the scheme

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

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Data sources

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