U.S. opens visa support desk for Korean investors after Georgia raid
South Korea and the United States on Friday officially launched a visa support desk at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul. People waiting to receive visas lined up at the embassy on Friday. Photo by Yonhap
South Korea and the United States on Friday officially launched a visa support desk at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul to help Korean companies investing in America with smoother entry procedures, the foreign ministry said.
The rollout of the Korean Investment and Travel (KIT) Desk comes as Seoul and Washington work to clarify visa rules for Korean investors and their skilled employees, after the shocking detention and release of more than 300 Korean workers in an immigration sweep in Georgia exposed ambiguities in the U.S. work visa system.
The KIT Desk will allow subcontractors of major South Korean companies investing in America to apply for work visas for their employees through the prime contractors, including Samsung, SK, LG and Hanwha, a measure expected to expedite the visa issuance process.
Subcontracted workers previously had to apply for work visas on their own, and that has often resulted in delays or denials of entry into the U.S.
As for the case of B1 business visas, an annotation specifying the purpose of their U.S. visit and other details, like the name of the projects involved and the location of their workplace, will be attached to the ones issued to South Korean workers.
“This will also help minimize risks of denial of entry,” a foreign ministry official said.
Providing visa annotations for B1 holders of a specific country is considered an unprecedented step by U.S. authorities, and it is expected to help increase visa reliability and facilitate smoother entry for Korean workers.
The U.S. Embassy has released a visa fact sheet for Korean workers, outlining the scope of eligible business activities under the B1 visas and the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) visa waiver program for short-term stays.
Many of the workers who were arrested in the raid had come to the U.S. on either of the two visas. Korean companies have called for setting clearer visa criteria for work visa applicants.
The KIT Desk, which has been on a trial run since October, will operate on collaboration between relevant U.S. government agencies, including the State Department, the Department of Homeland and Security and the Customs and Border Protection.
The U.S. has added more staff to the KIT desk to exclusively handle visa-related matters.
South Korea’s diplomatic missions in the U.S. will work with U.S. customs authorities to ensure a smooth entry for Korean workers into Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta — regions with a strong South Korean business presence.
Going forward, Seoul plans to continue talks with Washington on improving the “fundamentals” of the U.S. work visa system concerning its citizens, including creating a fixed visa quota for highly skilled Koreans, the ministry said.
Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina echoed the commitment during a visit to the KIT Desk on Friday for the official launch, where she was joined by acting U.S. Ambassador Kevin Kim.
The vice minister underscored the need to make the fundamental visa improvements in a way that “would contribute to rebuilding American manufacturing and creating jobs,” the ministry quoted her as saying.
The “Partner with Korea Act” has been introduced in the House to create an allotment of 15,000 E4 work visas for Korean nationals with specialized expertise. But the bill has made little progress amid negative sentiment over illegal immigration and the Trump administration’s stricter border controls.
The vice minister and acting ambassador agreed to continue working together to provide practical support for Korean companies’ investment in the U.S.
In a separate media note, the U.S. Embassy in Seoul said the KIT Desk will serve as a “central resource” providing investment and travel support to South Korean companies undertaking major investments in the U.S. and facilitating a smooth process for investment-related travel.
The embassy said it will work with Korea’s top investors into the U.S. to address business travel challenges, provide guidance on visa-related travel and promote clear communication regarding U.S. immigration requirements to support investment in America, in compliance with U.S. law.
“The U.S. Embassy will continue to meet with members of the business community to reaffirm the Embassy’s commitment to supporting Korean investment in the United States through the efforts of the KIT Desk,” it said.
The establishment of the KIT Desk underscores its commitment to encouraging Korean investment that “supports American reindustrialization, strengthens the U.S.-ROK Alliance and enhances shared prosperity,” the embassy added.
ROK is short for South Korea’s official name, the Republic of Korea.
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