● Jeonbuk State has been strategically fostering the agro-bio industry through key initiatives such as the National Food Cluster, Smart Farm Innovation Valley, and Agricultural Machinery Industrial Complex. However, population decline, demographic aging, and youth outmigration have caused a structural shortage of mid-skilled agricultural workers.

● Current foreign labor visa programs (E-8 and E-9) focus on short-term, low-skilled jobs, which restrict their effectiveness in meeting the agro-bio sector's need for skilled workers and long-term residence.

● Programs to attract international students to vocational high schools, currently implemented in some regions and schools, aim to respond to declining student enrollment and increase local population and workforce inflows. Nevertheless, their sustainability remains limited due to the lack of well-structured pathways for post-graduation careers, visa status, and long-term settlement.

● In particular, attracting international students mainly to programs with weak connections to Jeonbuk’s strategic agro-bio industry may increase the likelihood that graduates return to their home countries. This poses a risk that provincial investments in education and living support may not effectively address labor shortages in the agro-bio sector or support rural settlement.

● In contrast, recruiting international students to agricultural high schools directly linked to Jeonbuk’s strategic industries would allow students to live in rural areas of Jeonbuk for at least three years, building basic agricultural knowledge, field experience, and Korean language skills, ultimately creating a pool of skilled agricultural workers.

● Integrating the skilled technical worker (E-7-M) visa program would enable the design of a seamless settlement-oriented workforce pathway from agricultural high schools (D-4-3) to specialized agro-bio junior colleges in Jeonbuk (D-2), leading to jobs in Jeonbuk agro-bio companies (E-7-M) and eventually to long-term settlement through an F-2 visa linked to continued employment in regions with declining populations.

● This issue brief presents a Jeonbuk-specific pathway for nurturing a skilled agro-bio workforce and related policy measures to facilitate its implementation.

● First, partnerships with vocational high schools in sending countries should be established to identify and recruit students interested in studying at agricultural high schools in Jeonbuk. A pre-admission program lasting 6–12 months should be provided, covering Korean language training, basic agricultural knowledge, Korean life and culture, labor law, and safety education.

● Students who complete the preparatory program would be admitted to the agricultural high school program (D-4-3). Over the three-year period, major-related education and Korean language training would be integrated with dormitory residence, counseling, and rural experience programs to facilitate students’ rural adaptation and strengthen their foundational agricultural skills, creating a pathway toward junior college education, employment, and long-term settlement.

● Second, international graduates of agricultural high schools should pursue further education at junior colleges in Jeonbuk or neighboring regions to enhance mid-level technical skills through agro-bio manufacturing and technology programs, obtaining degrees that meet E-7-M visa requirements. Additionally, credit recognition systems, joint projects, and field-based training programs should be established between agricultural high schools and junior colleges to ensure educational continuity.

● Third, agro-bio firms within the province should employ students in mid-level technical functions after they graduate from junior colleges. A collaborative framework among junior colleges, companies, and local governments should be established to facilitate E-7-M visa conversion upon graduation through long-term or employment-linked internships in the final semester. Jeonbuk State should introduce incentives for agro-bio firms in population-declining areas to promote recruitment and long-term employment.

● Fourth, E-7-M workers in agro-bio firms located in population-declining areas should receive support to transition to the F-2 residency visa for family accompaniment and long-term settlement.

● To this end, Jeonbuk State should designate specialized technical programs at junior colleges linked to international student recruitment for agricultural high schools, expand the use of the E-7-M visa among agro-bio firms in population-declining areas, and develop a settlement support package following the Jeonbuk Special Act and relevant local ordinances. This approach would simultaneously mitigate labor shortages in the agro-bio sector, enhance the utilization of existing clusters and infrastructure, and reinforce the foundations for rural settlement.

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