USA H-1B Visa: Two new Bills to raise Capacity

Has US Congress yielded to Bill Gates appeal on H1-B visa? Not yet. But the lobbying seems to be working. Just a day after the software czar headed for Capitol Hill to lobby for the increase in the annual quota of temporary skilled worker (H-1 B) visas, two bills were introduced in the Congress to fulfill Bill's wish.

The bills introduced by two members of the US House of Representatives -- one Republican and the other a Democrat -- have introduced legislations that would increase the annual cap of temporary skilled worker (H-1 B) visas. Senator Lamar Smith, from Texas introduced a bill that would increase the annual cap on H-1B visas to 195,000, while the Democrat Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona introduced another bill that aims to take the cap to 130,000 in 2008, and increase it further depending on demand.

Smith's legislation "Strengthening United States Technology And Innovation Now Act" (SUSTAIN Act) suggests making 1,95,000 H-1 B visas as the base level for the fiscal year 2009, which will begin October 1, 2008. Alongside, Compete America, a coalition of industry, research and education institutions have also begun pitching for an increase in the annual quota.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services will start accepting applications for temporary skilled worker (H-1 B) visas from April 1 for the fiscal year 2009 that begins on October 1. As was the case in the past couple of years, it is expected that the annual quota of H-1 B visas will be exhausted on the first day itself. At present, the quota is at 65,000 visas a year. Of this, 6,800 visas are set aside for Chile and Singapore as per their trade agreements with the US.

This leaves 58,200 H-1 B visa for applicants from the rest of the world. Let’s see this year breaks the record of last year total noof processing.

Keywords: Bill Gates, H1B Visa American Visas, USCIS, SUSTAIN