Justice Ministry to toughen marriage immigrant visa rules

The Ministry of Justice said Thursday it would tighten the marriage immigrant visa regulations as part of efforts to prevent international marriage fraud. The ministry will screen visa applicants’ elementary level of Korean language but will exempt them from the test if they are able to communicate with their spouses. It will also check the Korean spouse’s level of income and residence status to ensure stability.

The ministry will limit an individual’s allowed number of marriage invitations to once in five years. Inviting a new foreign spouse after divorce will also be restricted for three years from when the original spouse acquires a citizenship or green card.

The new regulations will go in effect starting from April next year.

(rene@heraldcorp.com)