A new H-1B visa bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives last week has the support of Rep. John Linder (R-Ga.) and is likely to replace legislation introduced by Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), according to Daryl Buffenstein, a leading Atlanta immigration attorney.
The new bill would raise the annual cap on H-1B’s, the type used most often by high-tech workers, to 200,000 for the next three years and would double the application fee which goes toward improving technology education in the U.S.
If the new bill passes, it will replace Mr. Smith’s legislation, which would raise this year’s cap before lowering it dramatically over the next two years and turn over control of the visas to the U.S. Labor Department, which is opposed to increased immigrant workers, said Mr. Buffenstein.
In addition to Mr. Linder, who represents Gwinnett County in metro Atlanta, the legislation is co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of House members from other high-tech areas such as Silicon Valley, Austin, Texas, and Seattle.
Co-sponsor of the bill and chairman of the House Rules Committee, Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.), could help steer the bill clear of the immigration subcommittee, which is chaired by Mr. Smith, said Mr. Buffenstein.
The new legislation closely resembles a Senate bill introduced last month by Sen. Spencer Abraham (R-Mich.), he said. The Abraham bill, which passed in the Senate Judiciary Committee early this month, would raise the annual H-1B cap to 195,000 for three years and make it easier to keep immigrant workers in the U.S.
He added that Congress could have a bill to present to the president by the end of June.
Mr. Buffenstein is a partner with the law firm of Paul Hastings, Janofsky & Walker and is general counsel for the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
Send an e-mail to drbuffen@phjw.com or call (404) 815-2232.
