"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 staying in the U.S., including those on exchange visitor visas.

Reporter Hong Yeongjae has the story.

[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 study 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, and the school has already terminated his visa. We were thinking about him finding a job in the U.S. later, so now we are worried about what we should do.]

With the difficulty of obtaining U.S. visas already increasing 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 the visa process has become somewhat uncooperative. Some people are turning their eyes to other countries (besides 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 tightened visa renewal guidelines, such as clearly proving the purpose and plan of their stay.

[Kim Ho-jun / Director of Cheongdam One Study Abroad Agency: Extensions that were previously handled by schools must now be applied for directly with immigration authorities, and the biggest concern seems to be the fear of delays. 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.

(Video Editing: Kim Jong-mi, Design: Kang Yoon-jung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.