Reuters: Politics: U.S. demand for skilled worker visas seen topping quota soon

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U.S. demand for skilled worker visas seen topping quota soon Apr 2nd 2013, 01:18 Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Senate group resolves key issues on immigration reform: lawmakers 4:50am EDT CORRECTED-U.S. Senate group resolves key issues on immigration reform-lawmakers Sun, Mar 31 2013 Outlook for immigration deal brightens Sun, Mar 31 2013 Business, labor groups reach immigration deal Sat, Mar 30 2013 Senators say they expect to deliver immigration bill Wed, Mar 27 2013 Analysis & Opinion China shadow bank curbs attack symptom not cause The FBI’s shameful recruitment of Nazi war criminals People waiting to apply for visas sit outside the U.S. embassy in Beijing May 3, 2011. Credit: Reuters/David Gray SAN FRANCISCO | Mon Apr 1, 2013 9:18pm EDT SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A popular U.S. visa program for skilled workers is likely to hit its quota within days after its application period opens, triggering a lottery and signaling that companies feel confident enough about the economy to hire more foreign workers. The H-1B program will not have reached its base cap of 65,000 so quickly since early 2008, before the economic crisis hit. That was the last time a lottery was used, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which processes the applications. The application period opened on Monday. The USCIS plans to announce by the middle of next week if it will hold a lottery for the visas, a spokesman told Reuters on Monday. It had previously said it anticipated the quota for the year starting October 1 could be met by Friday. Last year the cap was not reached until June. Preliminary paperwork that prospective visa seekers must file with the Department of Labor before applying to USCIS indicates that there is demand for well over 65,000 visas, said Jacksonville, Florida-based lawyer Ashwin Sharma, who handles H-1B visa applications for technology consulting firms. He expects a record volume of applications this year. U.S. companies, particularly in technology, say they need the visas to fill vacant positions. But some worker-advocacy groups counter that the companies are using the visa program to hire cheaper foreign labor. While the official quota is 65,000, the actual number of people who enter the United States on H-1Bs is far greater because workers at universities and some other workplaces don't count toward the limit. Masters and PhD graduates from U.S. universities have their own quota of 20,000 visas. Last year, the government issued 129,000 H-1B visas - almost double level of the official quota. The U.S. Congress is currently working on immigration reform legislation. Among proposals being considered is a revamp of the H-1B program that could raise the quota based on demand and eliminate the lottery. (Reporting by Sarah McBride; Editing by Eric Walsh) Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above.

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