A red light has turned on for studying abroad as the U.S. international student visa system, maintained for decades, undergoes sweeping changes. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced a new regulation strictly limiting the stay of international students (F-1) to a maximum of four years from the initial date of approval.
Previously, students could stay virtually indefinitely as long as they maintained their regular academic programs. Moving forward, however, they will have to go through a complex status extension process after four years. While authorities stated that this measure is 'to address national security concerns,' approximately 1.2 million international students pursuing degrees in the U.S. are facing immediate and major confusion.
Concerns are rising that this will become an unnecessary administrative barrier hindering proper training, especially for students in doctoral programs or long-term majors such as medicine and engineering, where completing studies within four years is difficult. With a significant blow expected for South Korean students preparing to study abroad as well, exchange visitor (J-1) visas primarily issued to university researchers and foreign media (I) visas are also projected to face certain length-of-stay limitations.
Reporter Kim Do-hyung, Korea Youth Media (kimdiagram@kym.io.kr)