No!
Republican Sens. Orrin Hatch of Utah and Jeff Flake of Arizona have introduced legislation that would double the number of visas given out annually for foreign workers in highly skilled occupations to 195,000.
The senators will try to get the measure added as an amendment to any legislation to resolve the political standoff over the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration program.
“Senator Hatch strongly believes merit-based, high-skilled immigration needs to be part of the discussion and will be pursuing available avenues for his bill, including offering it as an amendment on the floor,” said spokesman Matt Whitlock.
That is assuming a Senate floor debate over DACA legislation is held. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., tentatively agreed to one as part of an agreement with Democrats to end last weekend’s government shutdown but did not guarantee it. And immigration negotiations between the White House and Congress change frequently.
The H-1B visa program gives out 85,000 visas annually through the Department of Homeland Security to foreign workers in high-tech fields such as software development and engineering through a lottery. The Hatch-Flake legislation, dubbed the Immigration Innovation bill, or I-Squared bill, would expand that to potentially as many as 195,000 if certain unspecified requirements are met. It would also allow the visa recipients’ spouse to work in the U.S. and give visa holders a grace period to find a new job without losing their status.
The legislation is being heavily backed by business groups, which have been clamoring for years to expand the program. “The senators’ proposed I-Squared Act is an important step in protecting U.S. workers, investing in STEM education, and ensuring that we can recruit people to fill jobs here in the U.S.,” said Brad Smith, president of Microsoft.