FRAMINGHAM (02/11/2000) - Two U.S. senators have started a new drive to raise the H-1B visa cap to 195,000 through 2002. The cap, which allows companies to bring in foreign-born skilled workers for a temporary six-month stay, is now set at 115,000 and is due to decline to 107,500 and then to 65,000 over the next two years. The high-tech industry argues that there is a critical need for these workers. A bill, sponsored by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (Republican from Utah) and Spencer Abraham (Republican from Michigan), chairman of the committee's Immigration Subcommittee, includes cap exemptions for students who have recently earned a master's or doctorate degree.
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