The Citizenship and Immigration Services announced Friday that they have already met the cap on H1-B visa applications and that any applications filed after Friday would not be considered. Congress lowered the cap from 195,000 to 65,000 because of pressure about exporting American jobs overseas. The visas are granted to foreigners who have at least a bachelor degree and who are in professions such as architecture, engineering, and medicine. Critics of the program say it allows business to fill positions with foreign, cheap labor.
See "Limit Reached on H1-B Work Visas", Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, October 4, 2004