http://headlines.sify.com/news/full...headline=Senate~nod~for~increasing~H-1B~visas
US Senate votes in favour of increasing H-1B visas
Friday, 04 November , 2005, 19:50
Washington: In a major boost to IT professionals from India hoping to emigrate to the US, the Senate has voted in favour of increasing the cap on H-1B visas by 30,000 to 95,000 from next year.
The Senate has voted to increase the number of legal immigrants besides increasing the cap on H-1B visas favoured by Indian IT specialists, as part of a broad budget deficit-cutting bill that was passed yesterday by a margin of 52 to 47 votes.
With a view to meeting its deficit reduction target, the Senate Judiciary Committee last month called for adding some 90,000 employment-based green cards per year and raising the fee by $500, which would earn some $250 millions for the government.
The Judiciary Committee increased the cap on the H-1B visas by 30,000 and raised the fee, adding another $ 75 millions to the exchequer.
The budget deficit reduction bill that was cleared by the Senate also removes family members from the ceiling on employment-based immigration visas that would now increase legal immigration by 240,000 people every year.
The total increase to immigration would now come to 330,000 a year, up nearly 33 per cent.
The passage of the Senate bill did not come by without opposition. Senior Democrat from West Virginia, Robert Byrd, tried to take away the visa provisions from the bill but was overwhelmingly defeated by a 85 to 14 vote with only ten Democrats, three Republicans and one Independent supporting him.
Here is the sentae vote -
http://senate.gov/legislative/LIS/r...ote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00303