Immigration Law

안녕하세요, 법무법인 미래 강동조 변호사입니다.

2025년 9월, 저희 로펌 소속 변호사들은 조지아주 배터리 공장 건설 현장에서 발생한 대규모 이민 단속 사태에 대응하기 위해 긴급 파견되었습니다. 당시 저희는 여러 하청업체 소속으로 구금된 수십 명을 포함하여, 관련 기업과 인력들을 현장에서 직접 대리하며, 비자 규정 준수 조사, 구금 관련 사안, 기타 긴급 대응 이슈에 대해 실시간 법률 지원을 제공하였습니다.

당시 해당 단속의 상당 부분은 ESTA 및 B-1 비자 체계 하에서 단기 파견 인력이 수행할 수 있는 활동 범위에 대한 광범위한 불확실성에서 비롯되었고, 이로 인해 기업과 근로자 모두에게 상당한 혼란과 법적 리스크가 초래되었습니다.

이러한 문제의식을 바탕으로, 한미 상용방문 및 비자 워킹그룹(U.S.–Korea Business Travel and Visa Working Group)이 구성되어 상용 방문 및 비자 준수와 관련된 지속적인 이슈를 논의하게 되었습니다. 그 결과, 미국 정부는 2026년 1월 28일 서울에서 개최된 제3차 워킹그룹 회의에서, B-1(단기상용) 비자에 ‘전문 트레이너(Specialized Trainers)’ 항목을 공식 신설함으로써 기업과 상용 방문자를 위한 명확한 기준을 제시하는 제도 개선을 발표하였습니다.

미국 국무부는 외교업무 매뉴얼(Foreign Affairs Manual, “FAM”) 중 B-1 비자관련 규정인 9 FAM 402.2 – Business Visitors를 개정하고, 미국무부 및 주한미대사관 홈페이지를 통해 B-1 비자 및 ESTA 소지자의 허용 활동 범위를 정리한 Fact Sheet를 업데이트하였습니다.

• Specialized Trainers – 9 FAM 402.2-5(E)(2): An applicant may qualify as a specialized trainer eligible for a B-1 if they are traveling to the United States for a temporary period in order to provide training or transfer knowledge to U.S. workers, including on specialized or proprietary techniques, skills, or know-how necessary for industrial equipment, machinery, or processes that have been acquired or are sourced from a company outside the United States, in support of a qualifying project. In such cases the applicant must possess unique knowledge that is not widely available in the United States and must receive no remuneration from a U.S. source. B-1 visas issued in accordance with this guidance must be annotated as such. The annotation should read: “B-1 SPECIALIZED TRAINER”.

개정된 FAM에 따르면 Specialized Trainers란 미국 내에서 일반적으로 제공되지 않는 고유하고 희소한 기술·지식·노하우를 미국 근로자에게 교육·전수하기 위한 목적의 단기 방문자를 의미합니다. 다만 해당 방문자는 미국 내에서 급여를 수령할 수 없으며, 비자에는 “B-1 Specialized Trainers”가 주석으로 기재됩니다.

이번 조치는 조지아주 공장 단속 사태 이후 제기된 B-1 비자 해석 및 적용상의 혼선을 제도적으로 보완한 조치로 평가됩니다. 이에 따라 향후 단기 파견 인력과 관련된 비자 불확실성이 일부 완화될 것으로 예상되며, 특히 제조업, 조선, 배터리 등 전략산업 분야에서 현지 기술 이전 및 교육 인력의 합법적인 입국 근거가 보다 명확해질 것으로 전망됩니다.

궁금하신 사항 있으시면 저희 로펌으로 문의해 주시기 바랍니다.

감사합니다.

Hello, this is Daniel Kang from Mirae Law.

In September 2025, our attorneys were urgently dispatched to Georgia in response to a large-scale immigration enforcement action at a battery manufacturing construction site. We were on the ground representing affected companies and dozens of detained employees from multiple contractors, providing real-time legal support related to visa compliance investigations, detention matters, and other urgent response issues.

At the time, much of the enforcement activity stemmed from widespread uncertainty around what short-term personnel were permitted to do under ESTA and B-1 visa classifications. That lack of clarity created significant confusion and legal risk for both employers and workers.

In response to these concerns, the U.S.–Korea Business Travel and Visa Working Group was established to address ongoing issues related to business travel and visa compliance. As a result of its efforts, the U.S. government announced welcome clarification for companies and business travelers through the formal addition of a “Specialized Trainers” category to the B-1 (Business Visitor) visa, confirmed on January 28, 2026, during the Group’s third meeting in Seoul.

In connection with this change, the U.S. Department of State revised the relevant B-1 visa provisions in the Foreign Affairs Manual (“FAM”), specifically 9 FAM 402.2 – Business Visitors, and updated fact sheets published on the websites of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Seoul clarifying the permissible activities of B-1 visa holders and travelers admitted under the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).

• Specialized Trainers – 9 FAM 402.2-5(E)(2): An applicant may qualify as a specialized trainer eligible for a B-1 if they are traveling to the United States for a temporary period in order to provide training or transfer knowledge to U.S. workers, including on specialized or proprietary techniques, skills, or know-how necessary for industrial equipment, machinery, or processes that have been acquired or are sourced from a company outside the United States, in support of a qualifying project. In such cases the applicant must possess unique knowledge that is not widely available in the United States and must receive no remuneration from a U.S. source. B-1 visas issued in accordance with this guidance must be annotated as such. The annotation should read: “B-1 SPECIALIZED TRAINER”.

Under the revised FAM guidance, Specialized Trainers are defined as short-term business visitors who enter the United States for the purpose of training U.S. workers and transferring specialized, proprietary, or highly technical skills, knowledge, or know-how that is not generally available in the United States. Individuals admitted under this category may not receive remuneration from a U.S. source, and qualifying visas will be annotated “B-1 Specialized Trainers.”

This amendment is widely viewed as a regulatory clarification addressing prior ambiguity in the interpretation and enforcement of B-1 visa rules, particularly following the Georgia enforcement actions. As a result, visa-related uncertainty for short-term technical personnel is expected to be partially alleviated, especially for companies operating in strategic industries such as manufacturing, shipbuilding, and battery production, where short-term technology transfer and workforce training are essential.

If you have any questions regarding this development, please feel free to contact our firm.

Thank you.