Throwing its weight behind crucial amendments seeking to increase the H1B visa cap to 1,15,000, the US Chamber of Commerce has urged lawmakers to provide relief to companies dependent on highly skilled workers, to help them compete in the global market.

The highly influential body, representing several American companies that bring in thousands of highly skilled workers into the country, said that the inability of firms to bring highly educated workers and students into the US severely incapacited them from competing internationally.

“... the H-1B visa cap was hit for the ninth time on the first day visas were available for fiscal year 2008. There has also been a backlog of employment based (EB) green cards,” the chamber said.

“These shortages and inefficient processes often force companies to move some operations to other countries, so that they are able to recruit the workers they need. It is imperative that reforms to the H-1B visa programme and the EB green card system are put in place this year, allowing the US businesses to remain competitive,” it added.

“Amendment 2428 would provide an interim solution for companies and organisations in need of highly skilled workers by raising the H-1B cap to 115,000 for 2008, it argued .

 It would also recapture unused EB green cards from previous fiscal years and make them available to help alleviate the current backlogs. These provisions would provide a needed short-term fix to the system,” the chamber argued.