U.S. Congress proposes bill to expand visa for professionals in South Korea

An additional professional work visa bill has been proposed by the U.S. Congress to allow Korean professionals to find jobs in the U.S.

U.S. Democratic Congressman Tom Suozzi held a press conference at his Queens district office in New York City on the 9th local time and said he proposed a bill to add South Korea to the "E-3" professional visa quota set up for Australian professionals.

Australia signed a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States in 2004 and secured 10,500 professional visa (E-3) quotas each year through separate legislation.

The bill included adding South Korea to the visa quota, considering that Australia does not meet its E-3 visa quota every year.

Currently, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives has proposed the "Korean Partnership Act," which calls for issuing up to 15,000 professional work visas and E-4s annually to Korean nationals with professional skills, but has not made progress in discussions.