H.R. 5534: To add the Republic of Korea to the E–3 nonimmigrant visa program.

This bill aims to add the Republic of Korea to the E–3 nonimmigrant visa program, which currently allows citizens of Australia to work in the United States. Here’s a breakdown of what the bill entails:

E–3 Visas for Republic of Korea Nationals

General Provision

The bill proposes an amendment to the Immigration and Nationality Act to include nationals of the Republic of Korea as eligible for E–3 visas. This means that Korean nationals would be able to apply for this specific category of work visa, similar to Australian nationals.

Employer Requirements

The bill introduces specific requirements for employers who wish to hire Republic of Korea nationals under the E–3 visa category:

• Employers must be registered and in good standing with the E-Verify program, which is a system that verifies the employment eligibility of workers in the U.S.

Application Allocation

The bill modifies the existing numerical limits on E–3 visa applications:

• The Secretary of State can approve up to 10,500 E–3 visas annually for Australian nationals.
• The number of E–3 visas for Korean nationals can be up to the difference between 10,500 and the number of E–3 visas granted to Australians in the previous fiscal year.
• The cap for Korean nationals does not apply to their spouses or children, who can accompany them regardless of these limits.

Effective Date

The provisions of this bill would become effective 180 days after it is enacted.

Relevant Companies

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