“Financial document requirements for recognized refugees applying to Korean universities: Experts call for revised guidelines”

☞Subscribe to the Hankyoreh Newsletter H:730. Type ‘Hankyoreh 730’ in the search bar. Mr. A, a refugee from Myanmar who was admitted to a university in Seoul last year and became a freshman in the class of 23, almost couldn’t even apply for documents. It was because the university had a hard time finding a lump sum of money by asking for a certificate of deposit balance of 30 million won along with the application form. A certificate of balance is a document that foreign students submit to prove that they have the financial ability to stay in Korea and attend university. However, Mr. A, whose refugee status was recognized by the government, is in a completely different situation because his family all live in Korea and are engaged in economic activities, and he even has the qualifications to apply for permanent residency. Experts point out that it is unreasonable to ask refugees who already have a stable status of residence to provide documents for the purpose of verifying their ability to stay. According to the coverage on the 9th, out of 14 universities with a high number of foreign students, only five, including Korea University, Kyunghee University, Soongsil University, Seoul City University, and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, require ‘documents proving financial ability’ from recognized refugees who have applied for international admissions. Recognized refugees who wish to apply for foreign admissions at these universities must submit a balance certificate of at least US$ 20,000 (KRW 26.43 million) in their or their parents’ names. Amugae Go, who helped a recognized refugee take the university entrance exam last year, said, “Considering the fact that you are a recognized refugee, some universities accept documents such as a certified copy of the real estate register or documents for deposit on a deposit basis as alternative documents. He said, “Recognized refugees face great difficulties from preparing college admission documents.” The request for submission of balance certificates by these universities is in accordance with the Ministry of Justice’s ‘Guidelines for Issuance of Visas for International Students (Visa) and Residence Management’. The Ministry of Justice requires foreign students to prove their financial capability of more than $20,000 when issuing a student visa (D-2) to prevent them from becoming unregistered residents due to their inability to pay for tuition and living expenses. The $20,000 was calculated by including all living expenses, including college tuition, housing and living expenses. However, recognized refugees are issued a long-term residence visa (F-2) by the government, and their right to reside permanently is virtually guaranteed. A long-term residence visa is issued to foreigners staying in Korea for a long period of time for the purpose of acquiring permanent residency. This means that there is no reason to ask for proof of financial ability because of the possibility of unregistered stay. For this reason, universities such as Konkuk University, Sogang University, Seoul National University, Sungkyunkwan University, Inha University, Woosong University, Yonsei University, Chung-Ang University, and Hanyang University require only foreign students who need to obtain a study visa to submit financial documents. Refugee expert Kim Sa-gang, a researcher at the Migration and Human Rights Institute, said, “The F2 visa issued to recognized refugees is a stable status of residence that foreign students can obtain after graduating from university, finding a job, and having to work hard.” Recognized refugees who have attended college do not suddenly change their status of residence just because they enter university, and there is even less reason to apply for a student visa. Authorities need to make supplementary guidelines,” he said. Some point out that recognized refugees should consider the fact that under the Refugee Act, they receive the same level of social security as Korean nationals. Researcher Kim added, “Although this is an extreme example, a recognized refugee, a recipient of basic pension, put tens of thousands of won in a bank account for college entrance exams, and then was eliminated from the screening process, and the livelihood of the entire family could be threatened.” By Shim Woo-sam, staff reporter [email protected]