Kathmandu, May 14
The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has clarified that the No Objection Certificate (NOC) has been temporarily suspended only for students applying to study the Korean language under D-2 and D-4 visas, and not for other academic programs.
According to the Ministry, students applying for undergraduate studies with IELTS and Korean language qualifications, as well as those pursuing postgraduate studies in Korea, will still be eligible to obtain the NOC.
“The suspension applies only to those intending to study language courses. NOCs for undergraduate students with IELTS or Korean language backgrounds, and for postgraduate studies, have not been halted,” said Nilkantha Dhakal, Information Officer at the Ministry, in a statement to Onlinekhabar.
Following complaints from students applying for D-2 and D-4 visas, the Nepali Embassy in Korea had written to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which then forwarded the concern to the Ministry of Education. Based on this, the NOC has been suspended for two months. However, those who applied before April 10 will still be issued the NOC, the Ministry stated.
Students going to Korea on a D-4 visa typically study the language for 6 months to a year. After that, they often apply to universities for D-2 visas. The embassy’s letter to the Foreign Ministry noted that many students were enrolling in universities listed on Korea’s “blacklist” during this transition.
To address the issue, the Ministry has formed a task force led by the head of the Higher Education Division. Further decisions will be made after the task force submits its report.
