With H-1B in limbo, Congressional backers push Green Card fix

[OhioChick]

Source: Computer World

Head of key House committee has introduced three bills in two months

May 14, 2008 (Computerworld) Efforts to increase the H-1B cap have been stuck in a legislative swamp, but U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) has introduced three bills in the last few weeks to help foreign nationals already working in the U.S. to obtain permanent residency. She announced her latest legislative effort late Wednesday.

Fixing the permanent residency, or green card employment-based, visa program has been a top legislative goal of high-tech industry proponents, on par with their efforts to raise the H-1B cap.

And Lofgren, who heads the U.S. House Subcommittee on Immigration, is in the position to move legislation to the head of the class. But it remains to be seen whether she can jump over the legislative stalemate created by lawmakers who want comprehensive immigration reform or nothing at all.

Lofgren's latest bill, HR 6039, which is not yet available online, will exempt graduates of U.S. universities with advanced degrees in science and tech -- the so called STEM degrees (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) -- from the annual 140,000 limit on these permanent residency visas. The bill was officially introduced yesterday.



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