More grounds for an E-9 worker to change workplace — effective 10 June 2027 | dormitory becomes housing
One of the grounds on which a migrant worker may change workplace through no fault of their own is that the dormitory the employer provided falls below standard. From 10 June 2027 the word becomes housing. A place that is not called a dormitory counts on the same ground if it falls below standard, and a move on this ground still does not count against the change limit.
Conditions used in the calculation
- Effective
- 2027-06-10
- Statute
- 외국인근로자의 고용 등에 관한 법률 제25조제1항제2호
- Who
- E-9 workers under the employment permit system
- Word that changes
- dormitory → housing
- What stays
- a move on this ground does not count against the limit
Results
- Wording in the article
- dormitory → housing
- Effective
- 10 June 2027
- Counted against the limit
- no (unchanged)
- Changes allowed in the employment period
- 3
- Changes allowed in an extended period
- 2
Why it works this way
The grounds on which a migrant worker may change workplace get wider. From 10 June 2027 the word dormitory in the article becomes housing, and more situations fall inside it.
As the Act stands, only a dormitory the employer provided that falls below standard counts as a ground that is not the worker's fault. A place not called a dormitory was hard to bring within it.
외국인근로자의 고용 등에 관한 법률 제25조제1항제2호, as amended effective 2027-06-10.
- Nowthe dormitory the employer provided falls below standard
- From 10 June 2027the housing the employer provided falls below standard
- Change limita move on this ground is not counted (unchanged)
It need not be called a dormitory. Housing the employer provided counts on the same ground. The standard for housing is set by the decree and the ministerial notice.
The amendment replaces dormitory with housing. A place that is not a dormitory counts on the same ground if it falls below standard, and the move is not counted against the limit. Whether a case qualifies is decided by the employment security office.
The limit is three changes within the three-year employment activity period and two within an extended period. A move for a reason that is not the worker's fault does not count towards it, and a housing problem is one of those reasons. Whether your case qualifies is decided by the employment security office.
This video and explainer cover a rule that has been promulgated but has not taken effect. The detail can shift with the decree and the notice, and the effective date can move.
In short: from 10 June 2027, housing the employer provided that falls below standard lets you change workplace through no fault of your own even if it is not called a dormitory, and that move is not counted against the limit.
The legal basis
Drawn from government announcements and the statutes themselves as primary sources, covering only the relevant part.
외국인근로자의 고용 등에 관한 법률 제25조제1항제2호 (permission to change workplace)
In force Effective 2027-06-10
Where the housing the employer provided in breach of article 22-2 falls below standard, or for another reason that is not the worker's fault makes it hard to keep working there, the worker may apply to move to another workplace. The word dormitory in the current article becomes housing.
What this means
🔴 It need not be called a dormitory. Housing the employer gave you that falls below standard lets you move through no fault of your own.
외국인근로자의 고용 등에 관한 법률 제25조제4항 (number of changes)
In force Current law, unchanged after 2027-06-10
Workplace changes may not exceed three within the employment activity period and two within an extended period. Moves on the ground in article 25(1)(ii) are not counted.
What this means
A move over housing sits outside the limit of three and two. This amendment does not touch that proviso.
Run it on your own numbers
The calculator opens with these conditions already filled in. Change the figures and your own case comes straight out.
Open the Departure Insurance & Workplace Change
Frequently asked
I live somewhere that is not called a dormitory and it falls below standard. What now?
Before 10 June 2027 the article says dormitory, so a place not called one is hard to bring within this ground. From the effective date, housing the employer provided counts the same way. The employment security office decides, so keep a record of the condition.
What is the standard for housing?
What the employer must provide is set by article 22-2 with the decree and the ministerial notice. This page is updated when the decree is out.
Does moving on this ground use up one of my changes?
No. A move for a reason that is not your fault is not counted towards the three within the employment activity period or the two within an extended period (proviso to article 25(4)). That holds after the amendment.
Where does this go in the calculator?
Put it in the field for moves that were not your fault in the E-9 worker calculator, and it recounts the changes that are charged to you and the ones you have left.
Results are estimates based on the inputs and on the rules as at the stated date. They may differ from a lender's actual assessment, and the rules change often. Take professional advice before any decision that matters.