"Is My Child Okay?" Over 20,000 Koreans Affected by Sudden Visa Restriction Announcement

[Anchor]

Students currently studying in the United States or preparing to study abroad are in a state of shock following the sudden news of visa restrictions. An emergency has been declared for approximately 20,000 South Korean nationals currently staying in the U.S., including those on exchange visitor visas.

Here is the report from Hong Yeongjae.

[Reporter]

Online communities related to studying in the U.S. have been flooded with posts from students worried about whether they will be able to continue their studies.

Students and their parents are anxious, especially those whose academic periods have been extended due to military service or leaves of absence, or those preparing for employment within the U.S.

[Parent of a student serving in the military: My son is currently in the military, so the school terminated his visa. Since we were thinking about him finding a job in the U.S. later, we are now wondering what we should do.]

With the difficulty of obtaining U.S. visas already having increased since the launch of the Trump administration, the announcement that residency reviews will become even stricter for students in master's and doctoral programs, which typically take four years or more, is an immense burden.

[Student preparing for a doctoral program: I have often felt that there is a lack of cooperation regarding visa matters. Some people are turning their eyes to other countries (instead of the U.S.), and some are just returning to Korea.]

As of last year, there were approximately 24,000 South Korean nationals staying in the U.S. on F visas for students, J visas for exchange visitors, and I visas for foreign journalists.

For now, they must comply as much as possible with the U.S. government's more stringent visa renewal guidelines, such as clearly proving the purpose and plan of their stay.

[Kim Ho-jun, Director of Cheongdam One Study Abroad Agency: The biggest concern seems to be the worry about potential delays now that students must apply directly to the immigration office for extensions that schools used to handle on their own. Since the renewal process has become more complicated, it is best to move up your schedule and prepare in advance.]

The Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles announced that it will soon hold an information session on the changed visa system and conduct a Q&A session for students.

Reported by Hong Yeongjae | Video by Kim Jong-mi | Graphics by Kang Yun-jeong | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.