United States Citizenship and Immigration Services announced Tuesday that it has already received more than the annual limit of 65,000 high-skilled worker immigration applications for fiscal year 2016. Applications were accepted starting only one week ago, on April 1.
The applications, through the H-1B visa program, are for employee-sponsored visas. Only jobs that require a bachelor’s degree or higher are eligible for the visa. Typically, most of the immigrants who receive H-1B visas work in computer science or engineering.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce used the announcement to argue that economic demand for highly-skilled immigrant workers is higher than the supply the government permits. “A more rational immigration policy would adjust to demand consistently outstripping supply,” Sean Hackbarth, a blogger with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, wrote. “We know that immigrant workers create jobs for native-born workers.” Hackbarth cited a study that shows every 100 H-1B immigrants create 183 jobs for native-born U.S. workers.
Since the H-1B cap was reduced to 65,000 general applications in 2003, it has been reached in less than one month five times, and for three years in a row. The cap has also been reached in every year since it was cut. During economic downturns, it took longer than normal to reach the cap than the 4.3 month average over fiscal years 2004 to 2016.
Some immigration advocates claim that decreased H-1B applications during economic downturns show how businesses hire immigrant workers when they’re looking to expand their workforce. This runs counter to immigration opponents’ claims that immigrants are hired as cheaper replacements for native-born U.S. workers.
The annual limit of 20,000 applications for immigrants with advanced degrees has also been reached.
H-1B visas are temporary. Immigrants in the program cannot quit or be fired without having to leave the U.S. or applying to change their immigration status.
