Congress set to make the H-1B visa less costly
Patrick Thibodeau
Congress is set to drop a $2,000 H-1B visa fee mostly paid by India-based IT services providers. It's a move being met with incredulity by H-1B critics, but relief by the Indian offshore industry.
The fee, adopted in 2010, was sought by U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who chaired the Senate immigration subcommittee when Democrats were in power. Schumer described the overseas firms as "multinational temp agencies" that undercut U.S. wages.
The fee expires on Oct. 1, the start of the new fiscal year and there's is no immediate effort in Congress to extend it. The fee raises between $70 million and $80 million annually for the U.S., according to an Indian industry trade group. The money initially went to improve border security, but is now used to help pay the medical needs of 9/11 first responders.
Russ Harrison, director of government relations of the engineering association IEEE-USA, said eliminating the fee makes no sense, particularly after lawmakers in both parties have expressed outrage over the use of H-1B workers in recent layoffs.
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http://www.computerworld.com/article/2985498/it-outsourcing/congress-set-to-make-the-h-1b-visa-less-costly-for-india.html
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