< back
RUMORS CIRCULATE OF POSSIBLE NEW H-1B VISA BILL 
The first word on the legislative strategies for dealing with the H-1B cap is emerging. According to sources, the Senate is considering a quick remedy.  A bill is hoped to be voted on by the Judiciary Committee next month and then up for a vote on the Senate floor in the early spring. 
The bill would increase the cap by a further 40,000 to 50,000 visas over the 115,000 visas approved for this year and the 107,500 in Fiscal Year 2001. 
It would also exempt certain visas from being included at all in the H-1B cap.  These would include H-1B beneficiaries working for colleges and universities and affiliated research and non-profit institutions, as well as government research institutions. 
The bill would additionally allow fraudulently obtained visas to be added back to the H-1B count after they are discovered. 
And what will no doubt interest many is a proposed abolition of per country limits for employment-based immigration cases.  This will be of great benefit to Indian and Chinese nationals though it may mean shorter across the board backlogs for everyone else. 
The fast track strategy is needed because the INS is expected to announce that the H-1B cap has been reached some time in the near future and the Senate has a short legislative calendar.