Here's why South Korea is pressing the US for visa changes for its workers
Seoul’s foreign minister, visiting the US this week, said both sides were exploring a working group to design a new visa category that would allow South Korean workers to stay longer
- Sep 13, 2025,
- Updated Sep 13, 2025 8:05 AM IST
South Korea has stepped up pressure on Washington to revise its visa system after an immigration raid at a Hyundai–LG battery plant in Georgia led to the detention of hundreds of Korean nationals. Seoul’s foreign minister, visiting the US this week, said both sides were exploring a working group to design a new visa category that would allow South Korean workers to stay longer.
South Korean firms have emerged as major investors in the US, building large-scale manufacturing facilities that demand highly technical skills often unavailable locally. Yet, unlike Australia, Canada, and Mexico, South Korea does not benefit from treaty work visas. Instead, its employees frequently rely on the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA), which allows 90-day stays, or B-1 visas for limited business activities, neither of which is suitable for long-term technical assignments.
“There’s really no mid-term business visa for Korean businessmen to work in the US for several months,” said Kim Yong-sang, an international disputes lawyer at Yulchon LLC in Seoul. Jihae Han, a US-based immigration attorney, added that a “lack of coordination between federal and state immigration policy” has worsened the bottleneck.
South Korea has long pushed for legislation to expand visa options, but progress has stalled in Congress, where immigration remains a divisive issue. The raid initially drew strong comments from US immigration officials, but President Donald Trump later acknowledged the importance of Korean investment. Earlier this week, he offered to let the detained workers remain in the US to help train Americans.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick suggested the issue could have been avoided with better coordination. “I called up the Koreans, I said, oh, give me a break. Get the right visa, and if you’re having problems getting the right visa, call me,” he told Axios.
According to Seoul, the detained workers have since returned home but may be allowed to re-enter the US once appropriate visa arrangements are made.
(With inputs from Reuters)
South Korea has stepped up pressure on Washington to revise its visa system after an immigration raid at a Hyundai–LG battery plant in Georgia led to the detention of hundreds of Korean nationals. Seoul’s foreign minister, visiting the US this week, said both sides were exploring a working group to design a new visa category that would allow South Korean workers to stay longer.
South Korean firms have emerged as major investors in the US, building large-scale manufacturing facilities that demand highly technical skills often unavailable locally. Yet, unlike Australia, Canada, and Mexico, South Korea does not benefit from treaty work visas. Instead, its employees frequently rely on the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA), which allows 90-day stays, or B-1 visas for limited business activities, neither of which is suitable for long-term technical assignments.
“There’s really no mid-term business visa for Korean businessmen to work in the US for several months,” said Kim Yong-sang, an international disputes lawyer at Yulchon LLC in Seoul. Jihae Han, a US-based immigration attorney, added that a “lack of coordination between federal and state immigration policy” has worsened the bottleneck.
South Korea has long pushed for legislation to expand visa options, but progress has stalled in Congress, where immigration remains a divisive issue. The raid initially drew strong comments from US immigration officials, but President Donald Trump later acknowledged the importance of Korean investment. Earlier this week, he offered to let the detained workers remain in the US to help train Americans.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick suggested the issue could have been avoided with better coordination. “I called up the Koreans, I said, oh, give me a break. Get the right visa, and if you’re having problems getting the right visa, call me,” he told Axios.
According to Seoul, the detained workers have since returned home but may be allowed to re-enter the US once appropriate visa arrangements are made.
(With inputs from Reuters)