On April 10, 2007, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced the Securing Knowledge, Innovation and Leadership (SKIL) Act of 2007 (S. 1083). The act is expected to propose reforms to address the restrictive H-1B visa cap and alleviate the employment-based green card backlogs. Co-sponsors of this bill include Senators Allard (R-CO), Bennett (R-UT), Hutchison (R-TX) and Lott (R-MS).

The issue of the H-1B visa cap also prompted introduction of legislation on April 11, 2007, sponsored by Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE), to temporarily increase the number of visas issued to highly skilled workers. Unlike the broader provisions of the SKIL Act, this bill, S. 1092, is expected to focus more narrowly on providing immediate relief from the current shortage of H-1B visa numbers.

At this time the text of both Senate bills is not yet available.

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