On January 29, 2013 Senator Orrin Hatch (R–UT) introduced
Senate Bill 169, The Immigration Innovation Act of 2013
("I-Squared Act"). This bill has a number of aspects that
would greatly benefit U.S. businesses and highly educated foreign
workers.
The most significant change would be to the H-1B program, the
visa category available to individuals seeking to work in
professional positions in the United States. Specifically, the H-1B
"cap" would be increased from the current 65,000 to
115,000, with the possibility of an increase to up to 300,000
annual visas should demand so require. Moreover, while current law
exempts 20,000 H-1B numbers from the H-1B cap for individuals
possessing a master's degree or higher from a U.S. university,
the I-Squared Act would make all such individuals completely exempt
from the H-1B cap. Additionally, spouses of H-1B workers would be
eligible for work authorization, something that is not permitted
under current law.
