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IEEE-USA Calls for Return of H-1B Visa Cap to 65,000, Fees to Retrain Displaced U.S. Engineers, and Congressional Help for Students

WASHINGTON (14 February 2003) — Congress should allow the yearly H-1B visa cap to return to 65,000 and use visa fees for scholarships and retraining of displaced U.S. engineers, according to IEEE-USA in a position adopted by the organization's board of directors in Dallas on 12 February.

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.

"Congress should let the H-1B visa level return to its historical 65,000 level," IEEE-USA President-Elect John Steadman said. "We believe this is an appropriate position, especially in light of record unemployment among U.S. engineers and computer scientists."

Private employers intending to hire H-1B workers must pay the government a $1,000 application fee, most of which is used to support technician-level training projects sponsored by the Department of Labor and scholarship programs administered by the National Science Foundation. The latter is for low-income students at two- and four-year colleges and universities.

Lack of clear guidance from Federal agencies, limited local cooperation and employer reluctance to participate has frustrated efforts to prepare displaced technical professionals for positions that H-1B workers are commonly hired to fill.

"Congress should see to it that more of the H-1B fee revenue is used to address the specialized instructional needs of unemployed engineers, scientists and other high-tech professionals," Steadman said. "In the long term, it should focus support on programs that help financially needy students complete degrees in computer science, engineering and mathematics."

For more information on IEEE-USA's H-1B position, go to http://www.ieeeusa.org/forum/issues/H1bvisa/index.html.

IEEE-USA is an organizational unit of The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers created in 1973 to promote the careers and public-policy interests of the more than 235,000 electrical, electronics, computer and software engineers who are U.S. members of the IEEE. The IEEE is the world's largest technical professional society. For more information, go to http://www.ieeeusa.org.

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Last Updated: 08 November 2002
Staff Contact:  Chris McManes, c.mcmanes@ieee.org