Congress opens 15,000 annual visas for South Korean workers—no reciprocal access for Americans.

What it does

This bill creates a new visa category for up to 15,000 South Korean nationals per year to work in specialty occupations in the United States. The visas are capped at 15,000 principal applicants annually (spouses and children do not count against the limit), and employers must file labor attestations certifying they cannot find U.S. workers for the positions.

Why we flagged it

The bill creates a reciprocal visa pathway for South Korean nationals in specialty occupations, functioning as a targeted labor-market expansion tied to a specific country rather than a broad immigration reform or general skills-based visa reform.

What the text implies

• The 15,000 annual cap applies only to principal applicants; spouses and children are exempt, potentially doubling or tripling actual immigration flow from Korea in specialty-occupation families.
• The bill does not specify what 'specialty occupation' means beyond cross-reference to existing INA definitions; the scope depends entirely on how the Secretary of Labor interprets that term in practice.
• No reciprocal requirement: the bill grants Korean nationals access to U.S. visas but does not require South Korea to grant equivalent access to U.S. workers, despite the title 'Partner with Korea Act.'
• Labor attestation requirement is borrowed from existing H-1B rules (§ 212(t)) but this bill does not strengthen or modify those attestation standards; enforcement rigor is inherited from prior law.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill expands labor supply in specialty occupations, which may moderate wage pressure and increase employer flexibility in high-skill sectors, but also increases competition for U.S. workers in those fields and may suppress wages for domestic workers in affected occupations. The labor attestation requirement provides some protection, but its enforcement and stringency are not detailed in this bill.

Who stands to gain

• U.S. employers in specialty-occupation sectors (technology, engineering, healthcare, finance)
• South Korean nationals seeking U.S. employment
• Immigration law firms and visa-processing intermediaries

Named in the bill

Republic of Korea, Secretary of Labor, Secretary of Homeland Security, Secretary of State, Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), Section 101(a)(15)(E), Section 214(g), Section 212(t), United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act

Where it stands

14 cosponsors: 9 Democrats, 5 Republicans.

• Jul 23, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jul 23, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

3 lobbying clients named this bill on 3 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $1,400,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 1 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 61% of bills with at least one filing.

Young Kim, the sponsor, reported $1,636,312 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle. $5,000 of that came from 1 PAC tied to these lobbying clients.

• Coupang, Inc. — $1,280,000 on 1 filing
• The Federation of Korean Industries — $90,000 on 1 filing
• Korea International Trade Association — $30,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.