WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) has introduced “The High-Tech Worker Relief Act of 2007.” This legislation will increase the number of H-1B high-tech industry visas from 65,000 to 195,000 to address the severe shortage in the number of visas available in 2008. At various times, Congress has temporarily raised the cap on the number of H-1B visas, when sufficient American workers cannot be found.
“The severe shortage of H-1B visas is a nation-wide problem, and Nebraska is directly affected. The demand in Nebraska for these highly qualified individuals in fields such as health care and computer science far out number the supply. This legislation is important to helping keep America competitive in the 21st Century workplace,” Hagel said.
H-1B visas allow highly skilled foreign workers to work in the U.S. for up to three years. Congress has imposed an annual cap on the number of H-1B visas of 65,000. This cap does not meet the demand.
This year, the Department of Homeland Security began accepting H-1B applications for the 2008 fiscal year on April 2. On that day, DHS received 133,000 applications. Tens of thousands of additional applications were received on April 3, before DHS began rejecting applications.
Many industries use H-1B workers to fill jobs when American workers can’t be found. In Nebraska, these visas are used by employers such as Union Pacific, Streck Labs, First Data, Valmont, Terracon, Western Electric, DTL Industries, NIC USA, Inc., Omaha Public Schools, Lexington Public Schools, Great Plains Regional Medical Center and Mary Lanning Hospital.
Source: Swenbr.Net
Comments