John Edwards acknowledges that he co-sponsored ACWIA in 2000 and said that special interests want to eliminate the yearly visa cap. He thinks that H-1B is a "necessary short term" solution until Americans are educated enough to take high-tech jobs. 

Dear (name withheld): 

Thank you for contacting me regarding the H-1B visa program. I appreciate hearing from you on this issue.

As you know, the H-1B visa program allows employers to hire temporary alien workers to fill positions that demand highly skilled employees. During the 106th Congress, I co-sponsored the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-first Century Act of 2000, which had bipartisan support and was signed into law on October 17, 2000. This legislation amends the Immigration and Nationality Act of 2000 to increase available nonimmigrant H-1B specialty occupation visas by 297,500 from FY2000-FY2002. In addition, the measure exempts from H1B numerical limits all nonimmigrants who work for universities and nonprofit research facilities, and eliminates the per-country ceilings for employment-based immigrants.

Currently, the largest category of workers who enter the United States with H-1B visas are those who will fill information technology (IT) jobs, such as computer engineers, system analysts and computer programmers. The U.S. Department of Commerce projects that employment in IT occupations will continue to expand rapidly.

Although Congress already has raised the caps over the next several years, debate about the number of available H-1B visas has continued. Some me employers in the high tech industries are urging Congress to eliminate the ceilings altogether. They argue that there has been a nationwide decline in bachelor's degrees conferred in computer/information sciences, and that this dwindling supply of skilled American workers is forcing them to rely on foreign workers in increasing numbers.

An increase in the number of available H-1B visas is a necessary short-term solution. However, I also believe it is important to develop educational programs that prepare American students and workers for an increasingly technological world. We must raise interest and awareness in this growing job market. I will continue to support measures such as those found in The American Competitiveness in the Twenty-first Century Act of 2000 that develop math, science and engineering skills by U.S. students while also ensuring that high tech employers have appropriate interim measures available to them.

As the discussion about this issue continues, I will be sure to keep your concerns in mind. I will also consider your views should relevant legislation come before the Senate during the 107th Congress.

Again, thank you for contacting me about this important issue. Please feel free to keep in touch.

Sincerely, 

JE/jfk