Korea seeks dedicated US visa quota for shipbuilding workers

Korea is seeking a dedicated U.S. visa quota for shipbuilding workers as a condition for carrying out its $150 billion MASGA investment commitment. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Korea has asked Washington for shipbuilding orders, exemptions enabling joint construction, financial incentives and a dedicated visa route. The proposed shipbuilding quota would support skilled workers deployed to U.S. shipyards for operations, expertise transfer and joint research.

The shipbuilding sector accounts for $150 billion of Korea’s total $350 billion investment commitment to the United States.

Korea’s proposed Partner with Korea Act would create a visa category with an annual quota of up to 15,000 Korean professionals, but the bill remains pending in Congress.

The ministry said the number of shipbuilding workers needed would depend on the timing and progress of each investment project.

The proposed E-4 visa has not yet been enacted, and its quota could be shared among multiple professions rather than reserved for shipbuilding workers.

Published Oct 19, 2026 3:29 pm KST

Updated Oct 19, 2026 3:50 pm KST

A baseball cap bears the slogan “Make American Shipbuilding Great Again” (MASGA) in this file photo. The cap, designed by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resource, was produced for tariff negotiations with the U.S. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seog

Korea is seeking a dedicated U.S. visa quota for shipbuilding workers as a condition for carrying out its $150 billion investment commitment under the Make American Shipbuilding Great Again (MASGA) initiative, according to the information submitted to Rep. Huh Sung-moo of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

On Monday, Huh said that information he had received from the ministry indicated that it has been “explaining” to its U.S. counterparts the conditions “Washington needs to meet for Korea to fulfill its investment commitment.”

“In particular, we have requested that the U.S. provide sufficient shipbuilding orders, allow joint shipbuilding through exemptions from restrictions on overseas construction, offer financial incentives and establish a dedicated visa quota for shipbuilding workers as prerequisites for implementing the investment commitment,” the ministry said in its response.

The Korean government and business associations have been pushing for the introduction of a new E-4 visa category for Korean professionals in specialty occupations, but the proposal has yet to be enacted into law.

In a separate response to Huh's inquiry about whether the proposed shipbuilding visa quota would be separated from the E-4 visa, the ministry said it has “not made a specific request, but we believe that professional workers covered by the existing visa proposal and skilled technical workers needed at shipyards are different categories of workers.”

“The number of workers needed will vary depending on the timing and progress of each investment project,” the ministry said. “At this stage, we believe establishing a visa route for workers to enter the U.S. is more important than specifying a number.”

In a separate statement, the industry ministry said: “Led by the foreign ministry, Korea is discussing ways to improve the visa system to facilitate the entry and stay of Korean corporate personnel, including those in the shipbuilding sector.”

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during the naming ceremony for the TS State of Maine at Hanwha Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia, Pa., Aug. 27. Yonhap

The push for a dedicated visa quota for shipbuilding workers is key, as the sector accounts for $150 billion of Korea's $350 billion investment commitment to the U.S., making it the largest single segment in the package.

Compared with other areas of investment, shipbuilding offers more clearly defined areas of cooperation under a structure where Korean shipbuilders can directly benefit.

To help revitalize the U.S. shipbuilding industry, skilled Korean workers will need to be deployed to American shipyards in the early stages to transfer their expertise and know-how. Personnel exchanges are also essential because the cooperation covers not only shipbuilding operations but also joint research and development projects.

Currently, the Partner with Korea Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Young Kim, is pending in Congress. The bill seeks to establish a new visa category for Korean nationals working in specialty occupations, with an annual quota of up to 15,000 visas. Although versions of the bill have been introduced in successive sessions of Congress for more than a decade, it has yet to make significant progress.

Even if the legislation advances, the quota would have to be shared across professions, potentially leaving insufficient slots for workers in shipbuilding. This appears to be one reason Korea is pushing for a separate, dedicated visa quota for the sector.

“To maximize the benefits of the MASGA project, additional institutional measures are required,” Huh said. “Effective support measures, including visa negotiations, should be pursued to ensure that Korean workers can be employed at U.S. shipyards without difficulty.”

韩国正寻求美国为其造船工人设立专属签证配额，以此作为履行其1500亿美元MASGA投资承诺的条件。韩国产业通商资源部表示，韩国已向华盛顿方面提出申请，要求提供造船订单、允许联合建造的豁免、财政激励措施以及专属签证途径。拟议的造船配额将支持派遣至美国造船厂从事作业、技术转让和联合研究的熟练工人。

在韩国对美3500亿美元的总投资承诺中，造船业占1500亿美元。

韩国提出的《与韩国合作法案》将设立一个签证类别，每年配额最多可达 15,000 名韩国专业人士，但该法案仍在国会待审。

该部表示，所需造船工人的数量将取决于每个投资项目的进度和时间安排。

拟议的 E-4 签证尚未生效，其配额可能会在多个行业之间共享，而不是专门为造船工人保留。

发布于2026年10月19日下午3:29（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月19日下午3:50（韩国标准时间）

这张资料照片中，一顶棒球帽上印有“让美国造船业再次伟大”（MASGA）的标语。这顶帽子由韩国产业通商资源部设计，是为与美国的关税谈判而制作的。（《韩国时报》王泰锡摄）

据韩国产业通商资源部提交给执政党共同民主党议员许成武的信息显示，韩国正在寻求美国为造船工人设立专门的签证配额，以此作为其履行“让美国造船业再次伟大”（MASGA）倡议下1500亿美元投资承诺的条件。

周一，许表示，他从韩国外交部得到的信息表明，该部一直在向美国方面“解释”华盛顿需要满足哪些条件才能让韩国履行其投资承诺。

该部在答复中表示：“我们特别要求美国提供足够的造船订单，允许通过豁免海外建造限制进行联合造船，提供财政激励措施，并为造船工人设立专门的签证配额，作为履行投资承诺的先决条件。”

韩国政府和商业协会一直在推动为韩国专业人才引入新的 E-4 签证类别，但该提案尚未被立法通过。

针对许先生提出的关于拟议的造船签证配额是否会与 E-4 签证分开的询问，该部在另一份回复中表示，“虽然没有提出具体要求，但我们认为，现有签证提案涵盖的专业人员和造船厂所需的技术工人是不同类别的工人。”

该部表示：“所需工人数量将根据每个投资项目的进度和时间安排而有所不同。现阶段，我们认为建立工人进入美国的签证途径比确定具体人数更为重要。”

韩国产业通商资源部在另一份声明中表示：“在外交部的领导下，韩国正在讨论如何改进签证制度，以方便韩国企业人员（包括造船业人员）入境和居留。”

8月27日，韩国总统李在明在宾夕法尼亚州费城韩华费城造船厂举行的“缅因州”号巡洋舰命名仪式上发表讲话。（韩联社）

为造船工人争取专门的签证配额至关重要，因为该行业占韩国对美 3500 亿美元投资承诺中的 1500 亿美元，是该方案中最大的单一投资领域。

与其他投资领域相比，造船业提供了更明确的合作领域，其结构可以让韩国造船企业直接受益。

为了帮助振兴美国造船业，初期需要向美国造船厂派遣技术娴熟的韩国工人，以转移他们的专业知识和技术。人员交流也至关重要，因为合作不仅涵盖造船业务，还包括联合研发项目。

目前，由美国众议员金英（Young Kim）提出的《与韩国合作法案》正在国会审议中。该法案旨在为在韩国从事专业工作的韩国公民设立新的签证类别，每年配额最高可达15,000个。尽管该法案的不同版本已在国会历届会议中提出十余年，但至今仍未取得实质性进展。

即使该法案获得通过，配额也必须在各行业之间共享，这可能会导致造船业工人的名额不足。这似乎是韩国力推为该行业设立单独的专属签证配额的原因之一。

“为了最大限度地发挥MASGA项目的效益，还需要采取额外的制度性措施，”许先生说。“应该采取有效的支持措施，包括签证谈判，以确保韩国工人能够顺利地在美国造船厂就业。”