US House OKs Bill to hike visa fees amid Indian concerns

Washington: Leading US lawmakers have hailed the passage of a key border security bill that would steeply hike H-1B and L-1 visa fees to fund new measures, even as Indian IT companies have resented the move.

The Emergency Border Security Supplemental Appropriations Act was passed yesterday by a voice vote in the House of Representatives.

The proposed increase in visa application fee by at least USD 2,000 for next five years would raise nearly USD 550 million out of USD 650 million that have been allocated for increasing the security of the US-Mexico border.
These fee increases would apply only to companies with more than 50 employees and for whom the majority of their workforce is visa-holding foreign workers.
"This measure is fully paid for, and it improves communications and collaboration between federal, state, and local officials," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.

"Strengthening border security is one of the central pillars of bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform, and I hope Democrats and Republicans will use today's progress as a building block for comprehensive reform," she said.
"The bill is fully offset. It increases, for five years, the cost of two visas which permit foreign workers to come and work in the United States," said Congressman David Price, one of the main author of the Bill.
The Bill also includes a USD 100 million rescission from unobligated balances within the Department of Homeland Security's border security fencing, infrastructure and technology appropriation due to an ongoing assessment of the SBInet program," he said.

While the Senate has already passed a similar version of the Bill, but because of the differences between the two bills, the Senate must pass the compromise legislation before it can be signed into law by President Barack Obama.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton said the President has put more assets on the border than have ever been there before.
"But that immigration as an issue needs to be addressed in a comprehensive fashion," he said in response to a question.

However, an influential Republican Senator questioned the idea of imposing taxes on foreign companies for raising funds for this border protection project.
"This bill is only on the floor today to allow the Democrat majority to claim that they care about border security. It won't go into effect soon, it won't solve our border problems, and it makes a mockery of our annual appropriations process where these problems should be solved," said Congressman Jerry Lewis, the Ranking Republican on the House Committee on Appropriations.
"Even the bill's USD 600 million worth of new spending is paid for with questionable tactics. Avoiding cuts to wasteful government spending, the Democrat majority is penalising businesses with increased fees. How are de facto taxes increases going to create jobs and help our economy?" he asked.