South Korea's LG Energy Solution was using workarounds to US visa restrictions well before Donald Trump returned as president and his administration launched a massive crackdown that detained hundreds of LG workers, internal documents show.
LG Energy Solution's reliance on a visa waiver programme started under Trump's predecessors, reflecting long running problems South Korean companies say they face in getting short term visas for specialists they need for their high-tech plants in the US.Company guidelines, detailed in the August 2023 LG documents seen by Reuters, advise employees and subcontractors to use the short term Electronic System for Travel Authorisation waiver programme, avoiding business visa procedures, after many visa applications had been rejected.
More than 300 Koreans, including 250 LG employees and contractors, were detained this month at LG's car battery venture with Hyundai Motor, in the US Department of Homeland Security's biggest immigration raid ever.
The globally publicised raid near Savannah, Georgia, including videos of shackled workers, sent shockwaves through South Korea, a major US investor and one of Washington's closest Asian allies.
The Trump administration has signalled it wants to revise visa policy to accommodate South Korean investment.
But the entrenched use of ESTA waivers, rather than applying for B-1 or other work visas, highlights risks for South Korean companies building factories in the US as they seek to avoid #Trump's #tariffs and send more skilled workers to support the expansion, even as Trump tightens immigration enforcement.
The LG guidelines for employees and subcontractors cite increasing US rejections of B-1 business visa requests by South Koreans, recommending instead the ESTA visa free travel option.
The guidelines provide tips, such as advising workers to dress neatly for U.S. customs interviews, bring invitation letters from their U.S. business partners and avoid saying "work" in the interviews.
"Using the word 'work' to describe the purpose of your visit can cause suspicion and lead to US entry denial," the guidelines say.
