USA: Visa Application Period Opens

The annual sweepstake for American visas for highly skilled temporary foreign workers begins on April 1st, the opening day for applications reports the New York Times.

The American authorities will accept petitions from employers for 65,000 temporary work visas, known as H-1Bs, that are available for the year that starts October 1st. Last year, the agency received enough petitions to cover the annual quota on the first day applications were accepted. About half of the total petitions filed were rejected because the supply of visas had run out.

Technology companies have urged Congress to raise the annual limit, saying they face damaging shortages of the computer engineers and software technicians that these visas attract.

But a number of lawmakers say foreign companies have used the program to import workers who compete against Americans and lower wage rates. They oppose increasing the number of H-1B visas without closing loopholes in the program.

Citizenship and Immigration Services has said that it will accept H-1B visa petitions over five business days, ending April 7. Last year the agency closed the application period after one day because the quota had already been surpassed. In mid-April, the agency will run a computerised lottery to choose about 65,000 petitions.

“We want to make sure everyone has the opportunity to get their petition in to make the process as fair as possible,” said Christopher S. Bentley, a spokesman for the immigration agency.

For the first time, the agency this year has explicitly prohibited companies from filing more than one petition for the same worker.