The United States issued 68,130 nonimmigrant visas to South Korean citizens in 2025, a 7.95% decline from 74,015 in 2024, according to an analysis of State Department data by the office of Hong Kee-won, a lawmaker in South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party.
Issuances fell across most categories, including B-1 business and B-2 tourism visas. Their average monthly total decreased from 1,273 in 2024 to 1,212 in 2025. Hong’s office said the monthly average rose to 2,027 in January and February 2026.
Student F-1 visas moved in the opposite direction: the monthly average fell from 1,195 in 2024 to 965 in 2025, then to 273 in January and February 2026. Hong said the decline could harm students preparing to study in the United States and called for diplomatic efforts to normalize issuance.
The lawmaker’s office said visa numbers appeared to rise in the months after hundreds of South Korean workers were detained in Georgia in September 2025. In December, Seoul and Washington opened a visa support desk at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul to help employees of Korean companies investing in the United States navigate entry procedures.
The figures reflect the lawmaker’s office analysis of State Department data. They do not by themselves establish the cause of the decline. Hong described the trend as part of a wider global impact from the Trump administration’s immigration policies.