SEOUL – A new US policy capping international students’ stay at four years has sent shockwaves through South Korean international student communities across the country.

The US Department of Homeland Security announced on July 16 that it had finalised a rule setting a four-year limit on the stay of international students on F visas and exchange visitors on J visas.

Set to take effect in September, the measure is part of the Trump administration’s broader immigration crackdown and an end to the long-standing system that allowed F and J visa holders to remain in the United States for as long as they maintained their student or exchange status.

“For decades, foreign students have been admitted into the US indefinitely, allowing thousands to abuse our immigration system by perpetually enrolling in courses to avoid having to leave the US,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement.

“This final rule ensures that foreign students remain focused on their primary purpose: Completing their studies and returning home.”

Reuters reported that the number of US student visa holders topped 1.8 million in 2024, up 11 per cent from 2023.

Under the new rule, students who have already entered the US on student visas would also automatically become subject to the four-year limit.

Those who need to remain beyond that period would have to apply to the Department of Homeland Security for an extension, which the authorities said would be granted only after “rigorous scrutiny”.

Anxiety has spread rapidly among South Korean international student communities across the US, particularly among those currently on or preparing to apply for Optional Practical Training, a temporary work authorisation that allows F-1 students to take jobs related to their field of...