Visa Cap Didn’t Last Long

A visa program called the H-1B allows 65,000 foreign employees to enter the United States between Oct. 1, 2004, and Sept. 30, 2005. The cap has already been reached, according to CNET.

High-tech companies are big users of the H-1B. They’re lobbying Congress to raise the cap, particularly for foreign students who graduate from schools in the United States with advanced degrees. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a lobbying group for business interests, says that “28 percent of U.S. Ph.D. graduates in science and engineering are foreign-born individuals, and it is imperative that U.S. companies are able to recruit from this talent pool.” Among the other groups lobbying for a higher visa cap is Compete America, a coalition of 200 corporations.

Unions and labor advocates, including the AFL-CIO, say that there are so many unemployed technical employees that an increase in the cap is unnecessary.

More on immigration is available online.