The Hindu : International / India & World : U.S. to increase skilled worker visas by 20,000

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 23, 2004

International

International - India & World

U.S. to increase skilled worker visas by 20,000

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, NOV. 22. The United States Congress has passed a bill that will increase skilled worker visas by 20,000, including those under the H-1B category. This measure, which will benefit Indian nationals, is part of the U.S.$ 388-billion spending bill for 2005 that lawmakers passed over the weekend covering 13 government departments and domestic agencies.

The bill came up after employers havestressed that the requests for the H-1B visas are much higher than the full quota allocation. And two Republican sponsors of the bill, Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia and Representative Lamar Smith of Texas, put forth their proposal, but with a proviso that these skilled workers must have a Master's or Doctoral degree from educational institutions in the United States. The current cap on the H-1B visa is 65,000 a year and Indian nationals are said to account for the highest numbers in this category.

Military aid to Pakistan

The bill has other aspects, including huge military assistance programmes for Pakistan and Afghanistan. In what is seen as reflecting the priorities of the Bush administration as it enters the second term next January, the Congress has authorised some U.S.$ 300 millions in military assistance for Pakistan and some U.S.$ 400 millions for Afghanistan.

The military aid to Pakistan is on the ground that it is bolstering the capabilities of its armed forces to fight terrorism and hunting down members of the Al-Qaeda holed up in the border with Afghanistan. It is also seen as a ``reward'' to the Pakistani President, General Pervez Musharraf, who has risked himself politically by throwing his lot with the President, George W Bush, in the campaign against Islamic militants.

More goodies?

Pakistan is well on the way to getting more goodies from this Republican administration over and beyond what has been doled out in this bill. The administration, through the Pentagon, recently informed lawmakers of the planned U.S.$ 1.3 billion arms package to Pakistan that includes eight PC-3 Orion planes.

This will be the United States' largest foreign military sale to Pakistan since sanctions were lifted in 2001. And questions still remain whether this Bush administration will be sending F-16s to Pakistan — that issue is on the table although the official refrain has been that no decision has been taken.

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U.S. to increase skilled worker visas by 20,000