In the last several years, the U.S. has quickly hit the annual enrollment limit for temporary, renewable residency permits, known as H-1B visas, for high-skilled workers.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said April 7 that it hit its 65,000 limit for new H-1B visas just one week after it opened its enrollment period for the H-1B lottery. It also includes 20,000 visas for people with advanced degrees.
The H-1B visa allows employers to hire foreign workers in specialty positions to work in the U.S. for three years, with a possible three-year extension.
The Homeland Security and Commerce departments said in May 2014 that they are amending rules for H-1B visas to allow some of the spouses of high-skilled immigrant workers to work in the U.S. in order to attract "world-class talent." Some 100,000 are expected to benefit from the rule change.
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