http://www.washtech.com/washtechway/1_10/forefront/1911-1.html

Newswatch

May 22, 2000

Visa expansion surprisingly unpopular

U.S. Rep. Thomas M. Davis III says his support of expanding the H1-B visa program, which opens employment to foreigners with tech skills, is an act of political courage.

"My mail is about seven-to-one against this," the Northern Virginia Republican says.

Under the H1-B program, up to 115,000 workers can enter the United States annually. That number will be nearly halved in the next two years unless lawmakers on Capitol Hill act. While the high tech industry favors raising the cap, which was reached in March for the current fiscal year, the measure faces opposition from organized labor and anti-immigration groups. The White House has proposed raising the cap to 200,000 visas a year and increasing the application fee.

With the national unemployment rate at 3.9 percent — the lowest it has been in a generation — it might come as a shock that Davis' high-tech constituents are making noise against the legislation.

It could be that technology workers are leading the charge against increasing the caps. After all, a shortage of workers can give them leverage when asking for a raise.

All of this doesn't seem to worry Davis. He says that corresponding legislation is making headway in the Senate and the visa program will be a priority in the House.