At first blush, the Coalition for the Future American Worker might seem like a labor group or an academic association. At issue is legislation that would double the number of H-1B visas issued to skilled workers from abroad during the next three years.
Opponents say raising the visa cap amounts to giving away American jobs.
The H-1B program allows employers who are unable to find skilled workers at home to hire professionals from abroad. The foreign professionals are granted permission to live and work in the U.S. for six years. There is broad bipartisan support for raising the H-1B cap from 115,000 visas yearly to about 200,000. The Clinton administration has signaled that the president would sign a new H-1B bill if the visas were targeted at highly skilled workers and if Republicans agreed to increase the fees companies pay for the visas to generate more training funds for American workers. Labor unions, which have criticized the H1-B program, are not fighting its expansion this year.