U.S. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas has proposed an additional 100,000 H-1B visa numbers for foreign workers annually in the high-tech and nursing fields, according to the Houston Chronicle. Currently, there are 65,100 such visas available this year. Senator Cornyn states that it is vital to increase the numbers, since U.S. employers are unable to find a skilled work force at home: “Unfortunately, industries are dying on the vines for lack of a qualified work force,” Cornyn said. “So this is very important for industries ranging from nurses to high-tech industries.”
Also, Cornyn’s proposal would not count the visa numbers for H-1B family members against the cap.