March 15, 2004

H-1B Availability Under FY 2004 Cap

President Bush is willing to review a proposal to issue an additional 12,000 H-1B positions.

At a Los Angeles reception in early March, Bush told Immigration Attorney Paresh Shah that he was unaware that the 2004 H-1B cap was being applied to the H-1B cases filed in 2003.

If Bush agrees to the proposal, this would reopen the H-1B category in the present fiscal year until the recaptured spots are exhausted. This category enables the US to recruit thousands of technicians from India and other countries in such fields as information technology.

There is no word on whether President Bush is likely to invest significant efforts into this matter. However, many groups have been lobbying the White House to take action.

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