"우리 애 괜찮나" 한국인만 2만여 명..전격 발표에 발칵 / SBS 8뉴스

Anchor Students currently studying in or preparing to study in the U.S. are greatly bewildered by the sudden news of visa restrictions. An emergency has been declared for approximately 20,000 Korean nationals currently residing in the U.S., including those on exchange visitor visas. Reporter Hong Young-jae reports. Reporter On online communities related to studying in the U.S., posts expressing concern about whether they will be able to continue their studies have been appearing one after another. Students and their parents, whose study periods have been extended due to military service or leaves of absence, or those preparing for employment in the U.S., are filled with anxiety. [Parent of a student serving in the military: Since my son is currently in the military, the school has terminated his visa. Considering that he will be looking for a job later, and given that he is now thinking about employment in the U.S., I am wondering what we should do now.] With the difficulty of obtaining a U.S. visa already rising since the inauguration of the Trump administration, the announcement that residency screening will be conducted more strictly inevitably comes as an even greater burden for students in master's and doctoral programs, which typically take more than four years to complete. [Preparing for PhD Study Abroad: I have experienced quite a few instances of somewhat uncooperativeness regarding visa procedures. Some people are turning their attention to other countries (outside the U.S.), while others are simply returning to Korea.] As of last year, the number of Korean nationals residing in the U.S. on F visas for international students, J visas for exchange visitors, and I visas for foreign journalists amounts to approximately 24,000. Currently, they are in a situation where they must comply as much as possible with the U.S. government's stricter visa renewal guidelines, such as clearly proving their purpose and plans for their stay. [Kim Ho-jun / Director of Cheongdam One Study Abroad Agency: It seems the biggest concern is what to do if there is a delay, as they now have to apply directly to the immigration office for extensions that schools used to handle automatically. Since the renewal process has become more stringent, if they advance their schedule and prepare in advance...] The Consulate General in Los Angeles announced that it will soon hold a briefing on the changed visa system and conduct a Q&A session with international students. (Video Editing: Kim Jong-mi, Design: Kang Yun-jeong) #USA #Visa #StudyAbroad Copyright Ⓒ SBS. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, and use for AI learning are prohibited.