TKT - Visa Loophole Closed for Goose Daddies
The Korea Times
Visa Loophole Closed for Goose Daddies
11-13-2008 18:56
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Life may become even tougher for the ``goose daddies,'' or mommies, as the new visa waiver program between the United States and Korea is to restrict their sojourns in the U.S.
Goose daddies and moms are those who send their children and spouses abroad to study while staying here alone to support them financially. So far, parents visited the U.S. with a travelers' visa ― type B ― then enrolled at community colleges or language institutes and changed their visa status to students' F1 visas. Then, children and spouses could get F2 family visas and enroll in local schools.
Parents would hire a lawyer to change their visa status to ``working'' and then apply for a green card and let their children stay there indefinitely. Either way, parents would usually return to make a living for the ``two-party-family.'' However, under the new visa waiver program, effective Monday, neither seems possible. In a recent interview with The Korea Times, U.S. Embassy Consul General Julia R. Stanley, said, ``People cannot arrive on the VWP and later apply inside the U.S. to change the status of a work, student, immigrant or any other visa. Any such person must leave the United States and apply for a worker, student or immigration visa outside the U.S before starting work or study in the U.S.
''Regulations will become tighter. Those who do not leave the U.S. within 90 days upon arrival under the WVP program will be regarded as illegal sojourners, which could restrict future visits to the country. ``The best option is for such families to get a long-term stay visa in Seoul according to their purpose of stay when they aim to let their children study in the U.S. for a long time,'' Moon Sang-il, an immigration law attorney, said.
bjs@koreatimes.co.kr
Visa Loophole Closed for Goose Daddies
11-13-2008 18:56
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Life may become even tougher for the ``goose daddies,'' or mommies, as the new visa waiver program between the United States and Korea is to restrict their sojourns in the U.S.
Goose daddies and moms are those who send their children and spouses abroad to study while staying here alone to support them financially. So far, parents visited the U.S. with a travelers' visa ― type B ― then enrolled at community colleges or language institutes and changed their visa status to students' F1 visas. Then, children and spouses could get F2 family visas and enroll in local schools.
Parents would hire a lawyer to change their visa status to ``working'' and then apply for a green card and let their children stay there indefinitely. Either way, parents would usually return to make a living for the ``two-party-family.'' However, under the new visa waiver program, effective Monday, neither seems possible. In a recent interview with The Korea Times, U.S. Embassy Consul General Julia R. Stanley, said, ``People cannot arrive on the VWP and later apply inside the U.S. to change the status of a work, student, immigrant or any other visa. Any such person must leave the United States and apply for a worker, student or immigration visa outside the U.S before starting work or study in the U.S.
''Regulations will become tighter. Those who do not leave the U.S. within 90 days upon arrival under the WVP program will be regarded as illegal sojourners, which could restrict future visits to the country. ``The best option is for such families to get a long-term stay visa in Seoul according to their purpose of stay when they aim to let their children study in the U.S. for a long time,'' Moon Sang-il, an immigration law attorney, said.
bjs@koreatimes.co.kr
posted by Consul-At-Arms at 12:25 AM
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