VISA INFORMATION & RESOURCES

The Aurora team has compiled a document that details VISA information and available resources one must know before coming to the United States.

Legal Resources

Under Aurora’s Legal Aid Department, our team members work closely with North Koreans currently residing in South Korea and the United States to assist them in the legal processes related to citizenship and immigration. Our services include translation, interview preparation, and other services depending on individual cases. By addressing the specific needs of our clients and working with them individually from start to finish, we can best tailor our services to help North Korean people navigate immigration and legal services in whichever country they choose to settle.

As of February 2023, Aurora NK has worked with 50+ North Korean refugees individually under our Legal Aid department.

See the graphics below for more information on how we provide Legal Aid to North Koreans.

  • Identification

    In order to create personalized case files for our clients, we first ask North Korean refugees and migrants who are interested in immigrating to the United States to fill out an interest form. Using this form, Aurora is able to identify what type of aid is most appropriate to help the client.

  • Start to Finish Approach

    When working with our clients, we make sure to support our refugees throughout the entire process. When refugees contact Aurora for assistance, we work with them to advise them on the next steps they should take in whichever path they choose. For some paths, Aurora also provides orientation to better prepare our clients for the processes they will undertake.

  • Immigration Services

    Our work primarily deals with immigration services, including, but not limited to, visas (including student and work visas), green cards, understanding US immigration policy (such as DACA for immigrant families), and assistance related to obtaining refugee status.

    Services that the Aurora team provide include translation, resource provision, interview preparation, connection to pro bono lawyers, and more.

  • Connection to Certified Legal Professionals

    In addition to the internal services provided by Aurora team members, the Legal Aid department works with clients who wish to get professional help or consultations from legal professionals. Our team connects people with different pro bono law organizations and law firms while also maintaining constant involvement through translation, feedback, and more.

Our partners

It all begins with a team of people.

PARS equity center generously agreed to provide free to low-cost immigration services to qualified North Korean Refugees in Aurora residing in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

AHRI for justice has generously agreed to provide free immigration consultation to North Korean refugees residing in South Korea as well as in the United States.

A brief background

Espionage is one of the factors that hinder assimilation into South Korean society. In South Korea, a lot of North Korean refugees live under the pressure of being detected by North Korean clandestine missions to assimilate fellow refugees or to lure them back to the North. Many NKRs are extremely nervous about exposing themselves online and usually cover their faces when taking group pictures. In fact, a survey conducted among 142 NKRs showed that 64.7% of NKRs felt uncomfortable having their photos online (Lartigue, 2019).

Therefore, we have indicated that there are a great number of refugees in South Korea who wish to be relocated to new countries in an attempt to escape the marginalization they receive from being from North Korea.

However, one of the other challenges is that these refugees are considered “South Korean citizens”, not “refugees” from other countries. Even though they might be able to re-achieve refugee status from the UN upon request, it takes years of work putting North Korean refugees harder to immigrate to other countries despite their struggles.

A lot of North Korean refugees have also indicated the challenges coming from a lack of knowledge about immigration processes and are not sure where to start or feel burdened by the cost to hire a lawyer.

Therefore, Aurora NK helps refugees who need help from legal professionals for their DACA, Green Card, Citizenship, and/or Work Permit documentation.