Moving to the USA from South Korea: Visas, Green Cards and Where to Apply

No. South Korea is not among the 39 countries restricted by Proclamation 10998 (in force since January 1, 2026), and it was not on the 75-country immigrant visa pause that began in January 2026.

The worldwide pause still matters if you are immigrating: Since August 25, 2026, the State Department has paused immigrant visa interviews at US embassies and consulates worldwide while consular officers are trained on public charge reviews. Scheduled interviews were moved to later dates, and no restart date has been announced as of September 2026. Visitor, student, and temporary work visas are not part of this pause. Details: immigrant visa pause.

Company transfers, E visas, H-1B, and student visas continue to be processed at the embassy in Seoul.

Korea's large exporters, manufacturers, and tech firms have many US offices and plants, so employer-based routes are the most common way Koreans move.

For an overview of every route, see our guide to US immigration and how US immigration works.

Usually not. South Korea joined the Visa Waiver Program in 2008. With an approved ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization), you can visit for tourism or business meetings for up to 90 days. Apply only on the official CBP ESTA website.

You need a B-1 or B-2 visa instead if you want to stay longer than 90 days, were refused an ESTA or a visa before, have certain arrests or convictions, have been in Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, or Yemen since March 1, 2011, or Cuba since January 12, 2021, or also hold Cuban, Iranian, Iraqi, North Korean, Sudanese, or Syrian nationality.

ESTA does not allow work, paid performances, or study for credit. Business visitors who will install or service equipment should check the B-1 visa rules carefully before travel.

E visas. South Korea has E-1 and E-2 treaty status dating to 1957. E-2 visas for Koreans can be issued for up to 5 years at a time according to the State Department's reciprocity table. The business must be at least 50% owned by Korean nationals, and the employee must be a Korean national in an executive, supervisory, or essential-skills role.

H-1B. Since February 27, 2026, the H-1B lottery gives more entries to higher wage levels. A separate $100,000 fee on some new H-1B petitions (from a September 2025 proclamation) is being fought in court, with judges split as of September 2026. See H-1B $100k fee.

Students. Korea is one of the larger sources of international students in the US. Since September 15, 2026, new F-1 students are admitted until a fixed date instead of for "duration of status", so you may need to file for an extension if your program runs longer. See F-1 fixed admission period. Student visa applicants should also expect social media checks.

Investors. The EB-5 green card and the new Gold Card are options for Korean investors. EB-5 rules change on September 30, 2026, when grandfathering protection ends (see EB-5 deadline).

Family. Spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents of adult US citizens have no annual cap. Other relatives wait in the F1 to F4 lines shown in the Visa Bulletin. Korean applicants use the "all chargeability" (rest of world) column.

Employment. Korean nationals also use rest-of-world dates in EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3. This means waits are shorter than for India or China, although EB-2 and EB-3 still have queues. Nurses, engineers, and researchers are common employment-based applicants.

Diversity Visa. South Korean natives were not eligible for DV-2026 because more than 50,000 Koreans immigrated to the US in the previous five years. You may still qualify through a spouse's country of birth. The Diversity Visa (DV) lottery is paused: visa issuance stopped on December 23, 2025, and DV-2027 registration never opened. See DV lottery paused.

The US Embassy in Seoul handles all visa categories for South Korea, including immigrant visas, E visas, and student visas. It is the only post the State Department lists for visa services in Korea.

The State Department's guidance is to apply for a visitor or other temporary visa at the US embassy or consulate in the country where you live. Applying elsewhere is possible but can make it harder to show you qualify. Appointment booking and wait times are on the embassy's website. See our visa interview guide for how interviews work.

For immigrant visas, the State Department's Korea page lists:

• Police certificate: a Criminal (Investigation) Records Check Report from the Korean National Police Agency. Korean nationals can apply online (crims.police.go.kr) or at a local police station; people living abroad apply at a Korean embassy or consulate. If it is issued as two separate reports, submit both.
• Birth and family records: a Basic Certificate (Detailed) together with a Family Relations Certificate (Detailed), issued by city, district, town, or township offices, or through the court's family registration service.
• Marriage records: a Marriage Relations Certificate (Detailed).

Documents in Korean need a certified English translation. You also need police certificates from other countries where you lived for the required period.

The largest Korean American community is in the Los Angeles area (California), centered on Koreatown and spreading into Orange County. The New York area is second, including Flushing in Queens and Fort Lee and Palisades Park in New Jersey. Other large communities are in the Washington, DC area (Annandale and Centreville in Virginia), Atlanta's northern suburbs (Georgia), Seattle, Chicago, Dallas, and Honolulu. Korean churches, business associations, and Saturday language schools are important support networks for newcomers.