The transition of legal status among Korean immigrants in the United States: immigration story, challenges, and mental health

Abstract

Background

With an increase in the Asian immigrant population, Koreans are among the top five Asian immigrants in the U.S. When immigrants move to the U.S., many encounter challenges related to obtaining, transitioning, or maintaining their legal status. Temporary immigration visa, including H1-B working visas and F-1 student visas, allows immigrants to move to or remain in the U.S. Immigrants planning to stay in the U.S. are required to renew their working visa or obtain a green card or U.S. citizenship. While existing studies focused on the challenges of obtaining legal status, there is little emphasis on the immigration experiences of Korean immigrants. This study aimed to examine the challenges faced by Korean immigrants in obtaining primary legal status when coming to the U.S. and transitioning to their current legal status after moving to the U.S. Furthermore, this study assessed the relationship of change in legal status with experiences of racism and discrimination and immigrant mental health.

Methods

A qualitative study was conducted with 24 participants through an online survey for demographic data collection, followed by semi-structured in-depth interviews. Participants consisted of Korean immigrants who attended a Korean Christian church in the San Francisco Bay Area. Interviews were conducted between March 2023 and July 2023.

Results

The majority of immigrants came to the U.S. with an F-1 student visa and currently hold an H1-B visa, green card, or U.S. citizenship. While immigrants faced relatively few challenges in obtaining their primary legal status before coming to the U.S., many struggled with the transition from an F-1 student visa to an H1-B working visa. Common challenges included finding company sponsorship and being selected in the visa lottery. In addition, immigrants experienced an additional set of challenges through racism or discrimination and cultural shocks upon moving to the U.S., which contributed to their mental health.

Conclusions

This study provided a new perspective on the challenges encountered by Korean immigrants, focusing on the differences in obtaining their primary legal status and transitioning to their current legal status. We showed the importance of assessing the effects of change in legal status on the psychological well-being of Korean immigrants by looking into the immigrants' experiences of racism and discrimination and analyzing the immigrants' mental inconsistencies of their expectations versus reality. These findings open the way for future research on Asian immigrants in the U.S. and contribute to the development of U.S. immigration policies.