WASHINGTON A measure to increase the number of skilled immigrants allowed into the United States moved a step forward in the House of Representatives Thursday. The judiciary committee's Immigration Subcommittee approved a bill that would boost the number of high-tech immigrant workers allowed in the country this year from 65,000 to 95,000 and to 115,000 by 2000. The computer industry has been lobbying hard for more immigrants under the so-called H-1B program, saying it is experiencing a dire shortage of computer software programmers.

The bill is similar to a measure approved by a Senate committee April 2 but includes more safeguards for U.S. workers, including a provision requiring the employer to state that an immigrant worker is not replacing an American. At the very least we should ensure that a company cannot lay off an American worker and replace that worker with an H-1B alien.

Amazingly, this is not currently a violation of the H-1B program, said republican representative Lamar Smith, Chairman of the Immigration Subcommittee. Employers of high-tech workers said they opposed that, and other provisions in the House bill. We shouldn't weigh down an urgently needed bill with unnecessary government intrusion that would essentially gut the H-1B program, said Jenifer Eisen, manager of human resources of Intel corporation.

(AFP)