Uzbeks form second-largest group of student visa overstayers in Korea
Uzbek nationals form the second-largest group of foreign student visa overstayers in South Korea, with 2,033 people living in the country without valid residency status as of August 2026.
The figures come from South Korea’s Ministry of Justice and were obtained by People Power Party lawmaker Kim Hee-jung, according to a Korea Herald report.
A total of 31,665 foreign nationals who entered South Korea on student or language training visas were living in the country without permission.
Vietnamese nationals accounted for 82.8% of the total, followed by Uzbekistan with 2,033 people, Mongolia with 1,353, China with 731 and Nepal with 316.
The ranking concerns foreign nationals who have overstayed their permitted residence, not the total number of international students enrolled at South Korean universities.
Of those without valid residency status, 21,719 had entered on D-4 visas, primarily used for language training, while 9,946 held D-2 visas for university degree programmes.
Language students face higher rates of visa violations
The data revealed a substantial difference between the two visa categories.
Among D-4 language students, 29.2% were living in South Korea without valid residency status as of August, compared with 3.6% of D-2 degree students.
The rate among language trainees increased from 25.3% in 2025, reversing a decline recorded since 2022.
Meanwhile, the rate among degree-seeking students continued to fall, despite their numbers more than doubling over the same period.
Separate figures covering newly reported cases at universities showed a 12.2% increase, from 3,631 in 2025 to 4,074 in 2026. These included 2,202 language trainees and 1,872 degree students.
The number of universities reporting cases involving language students increased from 186 to 208, while those reporting cases involving degree students rose from 182 to 190.
Gyeonggi Province recorded the highest number of newly reported cases at 994, followed by North Gyeongsang Province with 470 and South Chungcheong Province with 402.
Kim criticised universities for recruiting international students without sufficiently monitoring their enrolment and immigration status.
She called on South Korea’s education and justice ministries to review student admissions, visa screening and residency monitoring procedures.
