South Korea
East Asia · U.S. visa issuance trends and, where public, enforcement data by nationality.
What this means for you
South Korea H-1B applicants
- South Korea accounted for 9,024 of 399,395 U.S. H-1B approvals in FY2024 — about 2%. Reported
- South Korea is a smaller source of H-1B workers, so program-wide changes tend to affect it roughly in proportion to its share. Reported
Students from South Korea
- An estimated 24,800 F-1 student visas went to South Korea nationals in FY2025 (apportioned from the national total). Estimated
This is data context only — not legal or immigration advice. Figures are labelled reported, projected, or estimated; for individual situations consult a qualified professional.
What changed that may affect South Korea
Why so few changes are listed here
This is a statement about what we can prove, not about what has happened. Most U.S. immigration rules do not name a country or visa category when they describe who they cover — they apply by status, category, or circumstance. We only attach a change to this country when the document itself names it, because the alternative is telling someone a rule affects them when it does not.
Changes that affect South Korea without naming it are still in the archive. The full archive of 594 changes is searchable, and these are usually the faster route:
Visa issuance by fiscal year
Estimated H-1B and F-1 issuances to nationals of South Korea
View the 6 data points behind this chart
Estimated H-1B and F-1 issuances to nationals of South Korea. 6 rows · FY21 to FY26 · H-1B visas, F-1 visas.
| Period | H-1B visas | F-1 visas |
|---|---|---|
| FY21 | 9,197 | 23,856 |
| FY22 | 9,988 | 27,409 |
| FY23 | 8,729 | 29,683 |
| FY24 | 9,024 | 26,734 |
| FY25 | 8,089 | 24,800 |
| FY26 | 9,024 | 12,133 |
Border encounters by nationality
Enforcement by nationality
South Korea: common questions
How many H-1B visas go to South Korea nationals?
An estimated 9,024 H-1B visas were attributed to South Korea nationals in FY2024, apportioned from reported U.S. government totals by South Korea's share of visa flow. Country-level splits are estimates, not official per-country counts.
How many F-1 student visas go to South Korea?
An estimated 24,800 F-1 student visas went to South Korea nationals in the latest complete fiscal year, apportioned from the national State Department total.
How many South Korea nationals were removed from the U.S.?
Public data attributed about 3,200 removals and 3,000 ICE arrests to South Korea nationals in the latest reported year. Enforcement counts describe events involving people of a nationality and are not the same individuals across datasets.
Spotted something wrong?
Every figure here should trace back to an official government source. If one does not, or a number looks wrong, tell us and we will check it and publish a correction.
Report an errorOr email hello@immigrationclock.com. We are not a law firm and cannot advise on individual cases.