The South Korean government announced on Tuesday that it would begin accepting applications from business owners that want to hire workers from 16 designated countries eligible for E-9 visas starting later this month. Owners of Korean restaurants, hotels and resorts, forestry and mining companies will now be able to apply for permission to employ workers from these countries, the government said.

From April 22 to May 3, business owners can apply for permission to employ workers from the 16 countries on E-9 visas via the Employment Permit System, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor. Applications can be submitted at regional job centers across the country or via the ministry's Work 24 website.

Businesses with five or more employees of Korean nationality that have been in business for at least five years, and businesses with less than five employees that have been in business for at least seven years in certain sectors are eligible. Companies with five or more employees can hire up to two E-9 visa holders, while businesses with fewer than five employees can hire only one such visa holder.

Business owners wishing to hire workers from the 16 designated countries on E-9 visas must first try to recruit Korean national workers for at least a week. Then they can apply for permission to employ foreign nationals holding E-9 visas.

The E-9 visa is issued to citizens of Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, East Timor (Timor-Leste), Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uzbekistan and Vietnam to do "nonprofessional" labor.

Previously, E-9 visa holders could only work in the agriculture, fisheries, manufacturing and construction sectors. However, from this year, E-9 visas will be newly issued in four industries: restaurants serving Korean food, hotels and resorts, forestry and mining. Among them, owners of Korean restaurants, hotels and resorts can apply for permission to employ E-9 visa holders starting in April. Other business will be allowed to apply from the second half of the year.

By industry, the government plans to allocate some 25,000 E-9 visa holders to the manufacturing industry, some 1,800 E-9 visa holders to the shipbuilding industry, some 5,000 to the agricultural and livestock industry, some 3,000 to the fishing industry, some 2,000 to the construction industry and some 4,500 to the service industry. The government also announced it plans to allocate flexibly a total of 20,000 additional E-9 visa holders to industries where there is more demand for workers.

The government plans to accept applications from business owners from April 22 to May 3, as well as in two more rounds this year in July and October.