Giffords wants to expand visas

U.S. Work visas may soon allow for higher income

Immigrant-worker visas could double in a bill introduced in late March by U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords passes into law. Known as the Innovation Employment Act, the bill calls for increasing the limit of H-1B visas from 65,000 a year to 130,000 a year. The bill also would eliminate a 20,000-a-year cap on visas for foreign graduate or doctoral-program graduates who study science, technology, engineering or math. Another bill submitted by U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, would expand the annual visa limit even further to 195,000 for fiscal years 2008 and 2009. C.J. Karamargin, a spokesman for the Tucson Democrat, says Giffords introduced the bill after hearing from Arizona tech leaders about the need for a more robust immigrant-worker visa program that brings talented employees to the United States. The program is used by high-tech companies and universities. The University of Arizona alone has more than 300 H-1B visa holders. H-1B visas have been criticized by domestic tech workers who say some employers abuse the program and use it to get cheap labor.