Semi-Conductor Industry Association Hails Passage of S. 2611
The Senate bill increases the annual cap on H-1B visas from 65,000 to 115,000, creates a market-based cap to allow for future increases if market condition warrant, and raises the green card cap to 650,000 for fiscal years 2007-2016. The bill also exempts from the H-1B cap for workers who have earned a masters or Ph.D degree in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and exempts from the green card cap those workers with masters and Ph.D STEM degrees who have worked in the U.S. for at least three years. The current limits on H-1B visas were reached in August 2005, preventing U.S. employers from utilizing H-1B visas to hire workers with critically needed advanced skills until October of 2006. According to figures supplied by the USCIS, by the end of this month we will also have a backlog that, absent an increase in the cap, will use all of next year's available H-1B visas by the end of the month!
The SIA urges the Congress to quickly pass legislation to keep foreign-born, U.S. educated talent working for U.S. companies. Leadership in technology has been critical to driving economic growth, enhancing productivity, improving our standard of living, and ensuring national security. Leadership is not a birthright -- it must be earned, and it takes highly skilled scientists and engineers to earn leadership.