When Hyundai Motor Group announced its sprawling electric vehicle plant near Savannah, Georgia, in 2022, it set ambitious timelines to get the multibillion-dollar factory and all its components up and running.

The vehicle assembly lines have been humming since last October. The adjacent battery factory, a joint venture between Hyundai and Korean conglomerate LG Energy Solutions, is under construction.

But long before immigration agents last week raided the battery plant and detained nearly 500 workers, sparking international headlines, Korean companies have faced persistent issues getting visas for workers with technical knowledge who are vital to getting the facilities up and running, industry and diplomatic experts say.

Well before the raid, companies expanding in Georgia reported cha

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