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South Korea

East Asia · Rank #20 by court cases · Code: KR

Korean immigration has deep roots from the post-Korean War era. The community is concentrated in Los Angeles, New York, and the Washington D.C. metro. Korea is a major source of students and skilled workers.

1.1M

Total Immigrants

2.3% of foreign-born

18,200

Court Cases

Rank #20

8,500

Removal Orders

16.4%

Asylum Grant Rate

2,800 applied

3 yrs

Green Card Wait

Not DV eligible

Key Facts

•Large established community since 1960s

•Concentrated in LA and NYC

•Major student visa source country

•Treaty investor (E-2) popular

Detailed Immigration Statistics

Total Immigrants in U.S.	1,050,000
Share of Foreign-Born Population	2.3%
Immigration Court Cases	18,200
Removal Orders Issued	8,500
Asylum Applications	2,800
Asylum Grant Rate	16.4%
Deportations	5,200
Visa Issuances (2023)	485,000
Green Card Wait Time	3 years
Diversity Visa Lottery Eligible	❌ No

Top Visa Types

Tourist (B1/B2)Student (F-1)E-2 Treaty InvestorH-1B

Immigration Pipeline

How South Korea nationals move through the U.S. immigration system:

485,000

Visas Issued (2023)

→

18,200

Court Cases (Total)

→

459

Asylum Granted

→

5,200

Deportations

Data Sources

DHS Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, DOJ EOIR, CBP, DOS Visa Statistics. Last updated: March 2026. Court case data from DOJ EOIR. Visa issuance data from Department of State. Immigrant population estimates from Census Bureau American Community Survey and Migration Policy Institute.