Bill adds 20,000 H-1B visas

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: EEkid () aol com
Date: November 22, 2004 11:32:46 PM EST
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Bill adds 20,000 H-1B visas

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9589_22-5462983.html

Bill adds 20,000 H-1B visas
By Ed Frauenheim CNET News.com November 22, 2004, 12:01 PM PT


Up to 20,000 more guest worker visas will be available annually to 
foreigners who earn advanced degrees in the United States, under a bill 
passed by Congress this weekend.

In a catch-all spending bill, Congress agreed to a number of changes to 
the controversial H-1B and L-1 visa programs. President Bush on 
Saturday said he plans to sign the legislation.

 Among the visa program changes in the bill are a requirement that 
companies attest that an H-1B worker will not displace a U.S. worker 
and a $500 "antifraud" fee tied to visa applications. In addition, up 
to 20,000 foreigners who earn a master's degree or higher from a U.S. 
institution will not be counted toward the annual cap of 65,000 new 
H-1B visas.

 Businesses have pushed for such a change. The government announced on 
Oct. 1, the first day of the 2005 federal fiscal year, that that year's 
limit had already been reached.

 "Granting this exemption puts America first by giving U.S. employers 
access to this talent and giving U.S. taxpayers a bigger return on the 
tax dollars they invest every year in U.S. institutions of higher 
learning," Harris Miller, president of the Information Technology 
Association of America trade group, said in a statement Monday. 
"Foreign students make up 50 percent or more of attendance in many 
advanced math, science and engineering programs. Forcing foreign 
students to return home after earning their advanced degrees sends that 
public investment packing."

 H-1B visas, which allow skilled foreign workers to work in the United 
States for up to six years, have frequently been used by technology 
companies. Exemptions to the cap already exist for institutions of 
higher education, nonprofit research groups and governmental research 
organizations. L-1 visas allow companies to temporarily bring in 
employees from other countries for managerial or executive work, or for 
work that entails specialized knowledge

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