Long-Term Undocumented Migrants Face Precarious Existence in South Korea

For decades, many undocumented migrants have called South Korea home, building lives, families, and careers, yet on paper, they do not officially belong. A new report, "The Lives of Long-Term Undocumented Migrants and Just Migration Policy," produced by research group MARCO, sheds light on the nearly unimaginable existence of these individuals who have been undocumented in Korea for 12 to 35 years.

The report features oral accounts from 10 migrants, detailing lives lived in constant fear of deportation. Many avoid public transportation, spend daylight hours confined to their homes, and work in bars after dark. Their children's health suffers, and their dreams are often dashed due to their parents' precarious legal status. Despite adapting to Korean society over decades, the threat of removal looms large.

As of 2024, South Korea had 397,522 "illegal aliens" who had overstayed their visas, with an estimated 47,566 having resided in the country for over 10 years. Individuals like Amir, who arrived from Pakistan in 1999, and Kobir, who came from Bangladesh the same year, have spent over 27 years navigating life without legal status, witnessing their children grow into adulthood while facing constant uncertainty.

In response to these realities, migrant rights groups held a press conference urging the government to create pathways for undocumented migrants to obtain legal status. The Korean government has established a task force for foreign workers to develop measures for undocumented migrant workers, with granting legal status to a portion of this population being one idea under discussion. Many argue that the time has come to grant legal status to long-term undocumented migrants who have integrated into Korean society over decades of precarious existence.

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