KATHMANDU, Dec 25: South Korea has decided to reduce the quota for foreign workers under its Employment Permit System (EPS), a move that will directly affect Nepali migrant workers.
For 2026, South Korea has fixed the quota for non-professional workers (E-9 visa) at 80,000, down by 50,000 from the 130,000 quota allocated in 2025, according to Korean media reports. The decision was made by the Foreign Workforce Policy Committee, which approved quotas for 17 sending countries including Nepal.
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The reduction represents a 38.46 percent cut compared to the previous year. In 2025, although 130,000 slots were allocated, only 48,668 employment permits had been issued by the end of November — just 37 percent of the total quota.
The South Korean Ministry of Employment and Labor stated that the reduction was necessary as the temporary surge in demand for foreign workers following the COVID-19 pandemic has now stabilized. Economic slowdown, labor demand at workplaces, and unused quotas from the current year were also cited as reasons behind the decision.
South Korea remains one of the largest destinations for Nepali workers under the EPS system. For 2026, the country plans to bring in 191,000 foreign workers in total, including 80,000 under the E-9 visa for sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, fisheries, and construction, and 109,000 under the E-8 visa for seasonal employment.
Out of the 80,000 E-9 quota, 70,000 are allocated for specific sectors, while 10,000 have been kept as a flexible reserve. The labor ministry has stated that visa distribution will be managed through an integrated demand-and-supply assessment rather than fixed sector-wise quotas.
