US issued South Koreans 8% fewer nonimmigrant visas — Korea Herald

In 2025, the United States issued 68,130 nonimmigrant visas to South Korean citizens, 7.95% fewer than the 74,015 issued a year earlier. The office of lawmaker Hong Ki-won analyzed the US State Department data.

This was reported by the Korea Herald. The data cover the period after the administration of US President Donald Trump took office. The decline was recorded in most categories, including B-1 business visas and B-2 tourist visas.

Business and tourist visas

The average monthly number of issued B-1 and B-2 visas fell from 1,273 in 2024 to 1,212 in 2025. At the same time, in January and February 2026, this figure rose to 2,027 visas per month, the lawmaker's office said.

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According to Hong's office, the number of visas issued began to increase in the months following the detention of hundreds of South Korean workers in the state of Georgia in September last year. In December, South Korea and the United States launched a visa support desk at the US Embassy in Seoul to assist Korean companies investing in the United States with entry procedures.

Student visas

The number of F-1 student visas for South Korean citizens decreased more substantially: from an average of 1,195 per month in 2024 to 965 in 2025 and to 273 per month in January–February 2026.

Hong said the trend was global and, in his view, linked to the Trump administration's anti-immigration policy. He also called for using all available diplomatic channels to normalize the issuance of US visas to South Korean applicants.