Hatch-1B

As he nears retirement, Sen. Orrin Hatch is pulling out all the stops to earn his corporate golden parachute:

“The bill, according to a draft obtained by Axios:

• Increases the number of H-1B visas permitted to as much as 195,000 per year instead of the current 85,000 per year, including exemptions.
• Allows the spouses of H-1B workers to legally work in the U.S. Currently, spouses of H-1B holders with a pending green card are allowed to work in the U.S., but DHS is expected to end this practice next month.
• Eliminates the per-country caps for green cards, which has created a backlog of applicants
• Increases visa fees to provide almost $1 billion toward STEM education and U.S. worker training programs.
• Allows unused, but approved, green cards from previous years to be reissued.
• Expands the cap for researchers and those who have advanced degrees.
• Raises the minimum salary that H1-B dependent firms must pay their visa workers to $100,00 and requires that the salary be increased based on inflation every three years. This specifically targets the India-based outsourcing firms who are H-1B dependent, meaning more than 15% of their workforce are visa holders.
• The bill makes it easier for H-1B workers to move to other companies without the threat of losing their visa sponsor.
• Calls for a study within a year of the bill’s enactment, which would reevaluate which kinds of jobs are eligible for H1B workers.
• Simplifies the process for employers petitioning for H-1B workers.
• Requires that companies applying for H-1B visas be able to show that they made efforts to recruit Americans to the same positions first.”

Where do you think he will he end up next?