U.S. visas are likely to be increased by 50,000. Lobbyists are trying hard to make to increase the present number of total H1-B visa from 65,000 to 115,000. This hike will fill the shortage of high skilled people in the U.S.

H1-B visas were introduced in 1990 and capped at 65,000. During late 1990s, this number went up to 115,000. Then in April 2000, the country upped the cap again to 195,000, and from October 2000 to September 2003 the cap was in place. Some American IT workers found this increased figure intolerant. To reduce the fuss, in 2003 the number of H1-B visas again capped at 65,000.

According to industry sources, Bush said, “It makes no sense to say to a young scientist from India, you can’t come to America to help this company develop technologies that help us deal with our problems. We have got to change that ... change that mindset in Washington DC.”

He also said that “... I understand that we need to make sure that when a smart person from overseas wants to come and work in Dupont, it is in our interests to allow him or her to do so. We have got to expand what is called the H1-B visa.”

This raise will definitely prove beneficial for Indians workers, especially who are engaged in IT services. The software and services industry has played a crucial role in attracting Indian skilled minds to the U.S. and “Indian community in the U.S. is contributing directly to the development of the local software and services industry,” said AnnaLee Saxenian, Professor, City and Regional Planning, University of California, to a Global Services editor in a conversation two years ago.

But critics believe that inviting more foreign workers will only displace American workers and affect the wages.