유학생 비자 4년 제한..학생·가족 1만 3천 명 영향 / SBS 모닝와이드 1부

Anchor The Trump administration has moved to limit the maximum visa stay for international students going to study in the United States to four years. This measure is expected to cause significant confusion, as it applies to over 10,000 international students already studying in the U.S. Reporter Bae Seong-jae reports. Reporter On the 16th (local time), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced final regulations limiting the stay of F student visa holders to a maximum of four years. Until now, student visa holders could stay indefinitely as their visas were automatically extended until they completed their regular coursework; however, from now on, after four years, they will have to undergo a review by the Department of Homeland Security to obtain approval for a visa extension. Regarding the review process, the administration warned that "extensions will only be possible after undergoing a strict screening." This is interpreted to mean that students must clearly present their academic plans, and the necessity of such changes will be thoroughly scrutinized, even in cases where an extension of stay is required due to a change in major. The new regulations will apply not only to international students entering the United States but also to students who have already obtained student visas and are studying in the U.S. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security stated, "Previously, some international students were able to become 'permanent students' by continuing to register for classes to avoid leaving the country," adding that "this final change in regulations will put an end to the abuse of the system." Along with this, the J visa, an exchange visitor visa, will be limited to a four-year period of stay, while the I visa, issued to foreign journalists, will be changed to an extension system every 240 days. These regulations are scheduled to take effect 60 days after publication in the Federal Register and are expected to apply starting with the new semester this coming September. According to the Korean Embassy in the U.S., there are currently 11,861 Korean international students and 1,347 family members residing in the U.S. on student visas. Significant confusion is anticipated, as international students studying in the U.S., as well as students who had planned their career paths with the goal of obtaining a degree in the U.S., will have to revise their plans for their stay. (Video Editing: Park Seon-su) #SBSNews #News #Realtime Copyright Ⓒ SBS. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, and use for AI learning are prohibited.