Ministry of Employment and Labor

www.eps.go.kr

Faster & Easier

Re-entry for

Voluntary Returnees !!

10

on the Special

Questions

EPS-TOPIK

Employment Permit System

A policy that allows employers who have failed to employ Korean workers to legally hire an adequate number of foreign workers.

Faster & Easier !! Special EPS-TOPIK gives you,

Faster re-entry and employment Exemption from job training before arrival Opportunity to return to previous workplace

What is the Special EPS-TOPIK

Eligible Applicant : Workers (E-9) who were rehired after the initial 3-year employment term and voluntarily returned home within the re-employment period. Required Documents : Application form and a copy of the passport used at the time of departure from Korea Participating Country : As of March 2012, there are five (5) countries planning to hold the test; Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Uzbekistan and Pakistan (Further expansion is expected) Test Venue : EPS-TOPIK CBT centers in the sending country Test Period : Once every quarter Test Announcement : Newspapers and official website of the sending country
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10 Questions on the Special EPS-TOPIK

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on the Special

Questions

EPS-TOPIK

Are the applicants allowed to apply for industries that are different from the previously employed industry in Korea?

Who is eligible for the Special EPS-TOPIK?

EPS workers who were rehired after working in Korea for three (3) years and returned home voluntarily within the re-employment period. The applicants are allowed to choose any industries that are permitted under the EPS regardless of their previous employment in Korea. However, those who apply for pre-arranged job placement must apply for their previous job and industry.
10 Questions on the Special EPS-TOPIK

Only applicable to those who voluntarily left Korea after January 1, 2010, and meet all eligibility requirements for the regular EPS-TOPIK.

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Where and how often does the Special EPS-TOPIK take place?
The Special EPS-TOPIK will be administered once every quarter at EPS-TOPIK CBT centers in the corresponding country. It will not be held in Korea.

EPS-TOPIK

In which countries does the test take place?

The test will take place in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Uzbekistan and Pakistan in the first quarter of 2012.

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10 Questions on the Special EPS-TOPIK

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How much time is saved by passing the test?

Exemptions from job training before arrival and faster CCVI issuance will enable most of the test passers to re-enter as soon as their 6-month re-entry restriction period ends.

What is the difficulty level and pass rate of the test?

The difficulty of the Special EPS-TOPIK will remain at more or less the same level as the regular EPS-TOPIK but its pass rate will be relatively higher.

About 70% of the test will be made up of openly available questions on the official EPS-TOPIK website while the other 30% will be filled with new questions from unknown source (new questions will be introduced more in the future tests). Applicants can download the questions at http://epstopik.hrdkorea.or.kr.

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10 Questions on the Special EPS-TOPIK

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years Initial 3 rs al 2 yea n o i t i d Ad

What should employers do to rehire their former employees who passed the Special EPS-TOPIK?
(Applicable only to the employers of the employees last workplace before departing from Korea)

No application is required prior to the employees arrival in Korea. Upon the employees roster registration, local job center in the district notifies the corresponding employer via text message or phone call. After making efforts to hire Korean workers, the employer then applies for pre-arranged job placement and employment permit.

What will be the permitted employment term for the test passers?
They are initially given three (3) years to work upon arrival in Korea and allowed to extend it for less than two (2) years (1 year and 10 months, to be specific), if rehired.
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10 Questions on the Special EPS-TOPIK

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What are the differences between the Special EPS-TOPIK and the re-entry system for committed workers who have successfully completed their employment term in Korea?
The candidates for the re-entry system are those who worked in industry or business such as agriculture & livestock, fishery or small-sized manufacturing that is determined by the Foreign Workforce Policy Committee, fully completed employment and re-employment terms without changing workplace, and have a contract that ends after July 2, 2012.
On the other hand, the eligible applicants for the Special EPS-TOPIK are those who were rehired after the initial employment term of three (3) years and voluntarily returned home within the expiration of their re-employment period (please refer to Q1).

www.eps.go.kr

The re-entry system allows the candidates to re-enter three (3) months after departing from Korea and gives them exemptions from job training before and after their arrival.
Meanwhile, the Special EPS-TOPIK applicants must comply with the 6-months re-entry restriction period and receive job training after arrival (please refer to Q6).

Where can I find information about the Special EPS-TOPIK?

The test will be announced in the newspapers or on the official website of the corresponding sending agency and available on the EPS website at www.eps.go.kr.

For further information, please refer to page 15.

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Receiving Process of the Special EPS-TOPIK Applicants

(Eligible for pre-arranged job placement)
Administrative Agency Sending Agency HRD Korea HRD Korea, Sending Agency Sending Agency HRD Korea

Special EPS-TOPIK vs. Re-entry System for Committed Workers

Item
Eligible applicant

Receiving Process
Receiving EPS-TOPIK Application Test Administration Announcement of Test Passers Receiving Job Application Verification of Job Application Notification of candidates for pre-arranged job placement Issuance of employment permit Signing of contract

Responsibility
Verify the applicants qualifications over the EPS website. Set test questions with more than 30% of new questions. Inform about the possible annulment of the test upon the discovery of the applicants unlawful stay in Korea. Confirm medical checkup results. Prioritize approval after verifying the applicants qualifications. Forward SMS automatically via EPS website Contact the candidates by phone or SMS. If error found in SMS auto forwarding system, send manually. Issue an employment permit after pre-arranging job placement within 25 days of the application submission.
Sign a contract on behalf of the workers through consignment pursuant to Article 9 of Act on Foreign Workers Employment etc. * Refund the cost, if the contract is cancelled after the issuance of the employment permit.

Special EPS-TOPIK

Re-entry System for Committed Workers

Rehired workers whose extended employment period ends after July 2, 2012; Rehired voluntary returnees departed from Korea Worked for industry or business determined by after January 1, 2010 the Foreign Workforce Policy Committee; and have no record of workplace change Restricted to industries or size of businesses (incl. agriculture & livestock, fishery, small-sized manufacturing) decided upon by the Foreign Workforce Policy Committee Exempted Exempted from job training before and after arrival in Korea

Industry / business Korean language test Job training Re-entry restriction period
Requirements to return to the previous workplace Prior application by employer

No restriction

Required to pass the Special EPS-TOPIK which is held once every quarter Exempted from job training before arrival

EPS website, Job center

Six (6) months from departure date

Three (3) months from departure date

Job center HRD Korea

Permitted to return to the last workplace if worked Permitted only under the condition of going back there for more than one (1) year prior to departure to the last workplace from Korea Not required Required Not required

Efforts to hire Required Korean Workers

Countries agreed to hold the test at their EPSTOPIK CBT centers * The test will take place in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Uzbekistan and Pakistan in the first quarter of 2012 - Thailand and Vietnam in Dec. 2011 - Thailand, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Indonesia in the first quarter of 2012 - Others will be included when equipped with CBT centers

Issuance of CCVI Arranging entry schedule Entry supports

Ministry of Justice HRD Korea, Sending Agency HRD Korea

Issue CCVI to the contracted workers regardless of the expiration of their 6-month re-entry restriction period. Adjust entry schedules in accordance with the expiry date of their re-entry restriction period (6 months), if necessary Workers who enter Korea on the scheduled date will be transferred to job training centers.

Eligible country

No restriction

Enforcement date

July 2, 2012

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<Automatic SMS message> [Ministry of Employment and Labor] OOO (name of the re-entering worker) is eligible to apply for prearrangement job placement until OO/OO (month/day). Please contact your local job center.

10 Questions on the Special EPS-TOPIK

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For better tomorrow

Brighten your day with the Ministry of Employment and Labor

http://www.moel.go.kr
Bldg. #3, Goverment Complex 47 Gwanmunro, Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, 427-718 Korea For information : Call 1350