With the current yearly visa cap of 195,000 set to expire 30 September, the number will revert to 65,000 with no further congressional action. Despite the 120,000 high-tech professionals (electronics engineers and computer scientists) estimated by the Department of Labor as being unemployed in the fourth quarter of 2002, the Immigration and Naturalization Service is reporting that it processed 294,100 H-1B petitions in fiscal year 2002 in new, renewed and exempt categories.
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here. I believe the ITAA is lobbying hard to get congress to extend the 195K limit.
[ March 02, 2003: Message edited by: Rufus BugleWeed ]