U.S. lawmakers have proposed a bill that would allow thousands of South Koreans to obtain E-3 visas in the U.S.

The South Korean Embassy in the U.S. is in consultation with the U.S. Congress to secure an annual quota of ten-thousand-500 E-3 visas for South Korean professionals, as negotiations over a comprehensive immigration reform bill are under way in the U.S.

If the U.S. Congress approves the annual quota for South Koreans, over ten-thousand South Korean professionals a year will be allowed to seek employment in the U.S.

U.S. Congressman Eni Faleomavaega, ranking Democrat on the subcommittee on Asia and Pacific, and Republican Ileana Ros Lehtinen, former chair of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, on Wednesday proposed a bipartisan bill to that effect.

South Korea issues work visas to American professionals without limitation. About ten thousand U.S. nationals get visas annually.