Congress Inaction On High-Tech Visas Could Cut IT Workers

For the second time in three years, Congress is tackling the issue of how many six-year visas the U.S. should grant to foreign citizens to help alleviate the shortage of high-tech workers. A bill now under consideration in the Senate would increase the number of those H-1B visas from 115,000 to 195,000 for each of the next three fiscal years starting Oct. 1. Two years ago, Congress approved a temporary increase from 65,000 to 115,000. Without a new law, the number of visas would drop to 107,500 this Oct. 1, and back to 65,000 in 2001.