Poe Supports Partner with Korea Act

I am a co-sponsor for H.R. 1019, the Partner with Korea Act. Following the passage of the U.S. - Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS) in 2011, this legislation helps maximize the potential benefits of the agreement’s implementation by creating a professional work visa for highly-skilled Korean nationals. This will provide the same number of visas for Korean nationals as those with other FTA partner countries and allow the U.S. to hire individuals with the specialized education and regional expertise to help ensure the success of KORUS. Importantly, the legislation includes protections to ensure that visa holders do not take jobs that are filled by U.S. workers.

The relationship between South Korea and the United States is one that has withstood time and challenges. South Korea is one of the United States’ closest allies. The Partner with Korea Act would help the U.S. Korea Free Trade Agreement reach its full potential. Increased trade between our two nations will help both of our economies, and providing visas to high skilled workers with specialized skills will particularly help the United States reap the benefits of this free trade agreement. Our countries should stand together as trading partners, allies and friends.

The Partner with Korea Act would:

• Create 15,000 professional EB-4 Visas for skilled applicants with specialized education and guaranteed employment
• Ensures that Visa holders do not take away jobs that are filled or have the potential to be filled by American workers