Senate Judiciary Committee Strikes Deal On H-1B Visas

The Senate Judiciary Committee struck a deal on visas for high-skilled workers---one of the issues that at some point threatened the effort to draft a comprehensive immigration reform plan that includes a path to legalization for 11 million undocumented individuals. 

The agreement represents a settlement between the high-tech industry, which relies increasingly on foreigners with a high education level, and unions that represent American workers---the Associated Press reported.

H-1B visas are used primarily by the technology sector which employs most of the 65,000 workers who apply for them. 

The compromise reached Tuesday is attributed to Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) who had been working on the agreement during the last few weeks.

The agreement between Senators modifies the conditions of workers using the H1-B visa. But it is still unclear whether the AFL-CIO, one of the country's most influential unions, will support the changes.

During the second week of May, the H-1B was at the center of public debate because it is a weak point that during the drafting of the bill forced intense negotiations between unions and employers who were on opposing sides of the debate.

Senators rejected several amendments, including one from Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), asking to increase the number of annual H-1B visas from 65,000 to 325,000.

The Group of Eight's plan includes modifying the current quota of H-1B visas that ranges from 65,000 to 110,000 to a number closer to 180,000 depending on labor supply and the economic climate.

The Committee also rejected an amendment that required audit companies to use workers with H-1B visas.

The H-1B visas are mainly intended for foreign professionals with university degrees who perform specialized jobs that require theoretical knowledge or technical expertise.

The list of professionals eligible for H-1B visas includes scientists, engineers, journalists and computer programmers, among others.

Before the financial crisis of 2008, high-tech companies complained about the visa system and indicated that the quota allocated by Congress was inadequate and too small, so much so that between 2004 and 2007 the quota was exhausted every year within a few hours of opening the window for applications.

And in 2007, the window was open less than 24 hours..

The H1B visa program requires that U.S. employers pay foreign workers the competitive wage in their field of expertise.

In April of this year, the immigration service closed the window of H-1B visas for 2014 during the first week of receiving requests---something not seen since 2008.

(Source)