April 15 2004

Earlier this week, Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX), along with other House Republicans, introduced the "American Workforce Improvement and Jobs Protection Act" (H.R. 4166). This bill would create a permanent exemption from the H-1B cap for graduates of U.S. universities who have earned a Master's or higher degree. However, this exemption would be capped at 20,000 per year. In exchange for these benefits, H.R. 4166 would, among other things, reinstate the recently sunsetted H-1B fees and attestations and would impose a new $500 fraud fee on petitions.