The concept of Migration has been around since basically the beginning of time, however only in the modern age has Immigration been such a complicated but interesting aspect of life. For some the idea of looking at statistics is either pointless or boring, however they can help you learn more about many different things.
In this series we’re going to look at Immigration Statistics from here in South Korea. Often people make comments regarding the number of foreigners or the number of teachers but often without the stats and facts to back it up. Well known they (you) do. Every year the South Korean Government releases a 700+ page report (mostly in Korean) regarding Immigration and related numbers and statistics. Some (most) is bureaucratic filler but there is also some interesting information.
– 2016 Updated Post CLICK HERE –
In part 1 we’re going to look at E2 Visas. E2 Visas here in South Korea are sponsored visas from Foreign Language Instructors (Teachers). Previous we wrote an article detailing the process (CLICK HERE).
E2 Visa Misconceptions
Firstly a few misconceptions:
* Not all E2 Visa holders are native English Speakers. In fact there are E2 Visa holders from a range of different nations. Although English speakers make up 95%.
* Most of 130,000 Americans living in South Korea aren’t Teachers. In fact teachers account for less than 10%.
* The Male to Female ratio is pretty similar. In fact there are 1,000 more Male E2 visa holders than female.
Where do English Speaking E2 Teachers Come From?
As you might expect there are more American E2 Visa holders than any other nation, they account for roughly half. Canada is second closely followed by the UK and maybe slightly surprisingly South Africa. In fact there are more female South African teachers than Male or British Female. Ireland, New Zealand and Australia account for the remaining few.
Percentage Wise:
American 55%
Canadian 17.5%
British 12%
South African 8%Irish 3%
New Zealand 2%
Australian 2%
Other Nations
Of course there are just a handful of E2 visa holders from other nations. Most come from either China or Japan, there are the following:
China = 876 (90% of which are Female)
Japan = 279 (again mostly Female)
The only other nations with more than ten are:
France = 29
Germany = 22
Russia = 20
Spain = 13
A number of other holders come from other nations, but normally just 1 or 2.
Overall there are 1,289 Non-English Speaking E2 Visa Holders making up a little over 5%.
Also as this question is often asked, there are Zero E2 Holders from the following: Philippines, Thailand, Pakistan, India, Singapore, Malaysia or Hong Kong. Sorry if this comes as bad news.
Links
The statistical information is available for free on the Korean Immigration Website (CLICK HERE). Also the statistics used in this article are from the 2012 report.
Finally
This topic maybe a little boring but it’s the type of thing so many people ask about or refer to we felt is was worth while taking a little long it.
As always if you have any questions related to E2 Visas, Korean Immigration or Teaching in Korea please feel free to let us know. Either below, by Email or via Twitter or Facebook.
Tim
Modern Seoul
tim@modernseoul.org
Modern Seoul 
How do these numbers compare to last year? Also do you guys have statistics on other types of visas? Thanks!
The numbers where from the 2012 report which was the most recently released at the time. The 2013 report is out now, and we agree that a comparison post would be interesting (something we’ll try and do soon).
Overall numbers have dropped since the ESL boom in 2008, but these days they’re pretty stable.
Details on other visa types are included in the report freely available on the Korean Immigration website and linked in the post. Be warned it’s 800 pages long and mostly in Korean :).
The link in the article just seems to go to the main page. Do you have another link or perhaps the exact name of the report? I’m looking for it to reference in a university paper. Thanks.
This link should work for now, there are many reports listed here. As mentioned before in the post and other comments the report is mainly in Korean and over 700 pages long.
If it doesn’t work you have to go onto the Korean version of the site and to the downloads / report area.
Good luck.
hi i am a malaysian citizen and im currently looking at the possibility of doing a year (or hopefully more) as a foreign language teacher in south korea. i was wondering about your statement regarding the zero E2 holders from Malaysia. What does that mean actually? is it that there are no one from Malaysia currently teaching in S.Korea or are the chances of us getting rejected from acquiring a visa really that high?
Unfortunately yes, you need to be for one of the 7 recognized English Speaking Nations (USA, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa).
Also all E2 Visas are sponsored by a school or private academy.
It maybe possible for a school to sponsor a Malaysian Citizen to teach Malay if that school can prove demand.