World Immigration News

(The Asia Business Daily)Retirement in the Homeland...Number of Reverse Immigrants Regaining Korean Nationality Surpasses 4,000 Annually

Release Date: 2026-08-15
Media: The Asia Business Daily
Summary: South Korea is seeing a significant rise in overseas Koreans seeking to regain Korean citizenship. Last year, 4,037 people had their nationality restored, including 2,586 U.S. citizens, who accounted for about 64% of the total. Canadians ranked second with 656, followed by Australians, Japanese, and New Zealanders.

Applications for nationality restoration increased 65.6%, from 3,069 in 2021 to 5,082 last year. The rise is partly attributed to growing demand among elderly overseas Koreans wishing to return. While restored citizens generally must renounce their foreign nationality within one year, those aged 65 or older may retain multiple citizenship by pledging not to exercise their foreign nationality in Korea.

As rising applications have pushed the average review period to as long as 13 months, the Ministry of Justice will conduct an intensive three-month processing campaign through October. It plans to process 3,973 cases and reduce the average waiting period to about nine months.

The government also plans to establish a dedicated Nationality Review Office to handle growing naturalization and nationality restoration applications more quickly and fairly, while facilitating the acquisition of Korean citizenship by highly skilled foreign talent.
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