Government Shutdown Risk: What Korean Americans and Korean Nationals in the U.S. Need to Know

Not every immigration function stops in a shutdown. Here's what stays open, what pauses-and how Korean communities can prepare now.

WASHINGTON - With the federal funding deadline set for September 30, Congress remains at loggerheads and the odds of a partial government shutdown are rising. If funding lapses on October 1, immigration and employment-verification services will not grind to a total halt, but the impact will vary by agency. For Korean Americans, Korean employers, students, and visitors, the practical question is what can still move forward and what should wait.

Big Picture

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is largely fee-funded and typically continues processing petitions and applications during a shutdown. That means H-1B extensions without material changes, I-140 immigrant petitions, I-485 adjustment cases, EAD and advance parole requests can generally proceed, although some services may slow because of staffing shifts and interagency dependencies. The main pressure point is the Labor Department's Office of Foreign Labor Certification. If OFLC pauses operations, the FLAG portal used for LCAs, PERM and prevailing wage requests becomes unavailable. That creates bottlenecks for H-1B amendments and transfers and for PERM-based green card pipelines that depend on DOL certifications. E-Verify has historically gone offline during shutdowns. Employers cannot create new cases or resolve tentative non-confirmations until the system returns, and DHS later issues grace periods and special rules. HR teams should be ready to onboard with Form I-9 only and catch up once service resumes.

Impact on Korean Communities

Workers on H-1B, E-3 and related statuses can generally file extensions that do not require a new LCA, but cases that need a fresh LCA for amendments or changes of employer may be delayed while DOL systems are paused. Students on F-1, including OPT and CPT, and scholars on J-1 can continue filing with USCIS, yet hiring sites that rely on E-Verify will need temporary I-9-only procedures until the platform returns. Korean American small businesses and community employers should prepare a concise internal memo explaining how to complete I-9s during the outage and how to create backlogged E-Verify cases later. Family immigration and naturalization interviews and adjudications usually continue at USCIS field offices, though appointment availability can tighten if support services are reduced. Consular visa operations are also largely fee-funded and often continue, but individual posts may scale back; travelers should build buffer days around interviews, document delivery and reentry. Ports of entry remain open because inspection staff are essential.

Practical Guidance for the Next Ten Days

The most effective step is to map dependencies and separate USCIS-only work, which can move during a shutdown, from DOL-dependent tasks, which will pause. Where feasible, submit LCAs and prevailing wage requests before September 30 and archive approvals locally for internal use. For extensions that do not require a new LCA, prepare complete USCIS packets now and consider premium processing if timelines are tight. Employers that use E-Verify should publish a simple onboarding plan describing I-9 procedures during the outage and a post-outage playbook for creating cases and handling tentative non-confirmations. Visa applicants and returning employees should add extra days to stamping and travel plans. Finally, subscribe to USCIS, DOL/OFLC and E-Verify status notices and apply any deadline relief or reopening instructions as soon as they are issued.

Politics, Timing and Outlook

The fiscal year ends September 30. Without a compromise, a partial shutdown would begin October 1. The heaviest immigration impact would fall on DOL/OFLC and E-Verify, while USCIS would continue most operations. Readers should watch for agency updates that clarify deadline flexibilities, portal reopening dates and catch-up rules for employers. For Korean Americans and Korean nationals in the United States, the near-term risk is not a full freeze but targeted bottlenecks that can delay hiring, transfers and PERM. Keep what you can moving, build time cushions and follow agency guidance as the clock runs down.