Nearly 10% of Foreign Students Are Here Illegally

A Large Number of Foreign Students Lack Visas

The number of programs for students studying abroad in Korea is on the rise. However, a recent report shows that nearly 10% of foreign students studying in Korea lack proper student visas. According to data from the Ministry of Justice, over 86,000 foreign students studied illegally without proper paperwork last year.

Even prestigious institutions are guilty of enrolling students without student visas. Data shows that of the illegally enrolled foreign students, 651 studied at the top 28 universities in the country.

Lawmaker Kim Tae-nyeon criticized universities for enrolling foreign students for financial reasons using a private university in Gyeonggi Province where foreign enrollment rose 350% as an example. He further stated that universities failed to provide proper supervision for their foreign students.