1990 Act Responded to Employer Needs

Six years ago, amid fears of an impending shortfall of scientists and engineers, Congress tilted the nation’s immigration system in favor of employers keen to tap into global labor markets for skilled workers.

The Immigration Act of 1990--the most significant revisions of immigration law in a quarter-century--boosted ceilings to 140,000 a year for permanent entries of employment-based immigrants and their families, almost tripling levels. Priority was assigned to those with special skills.

Lawmakers also created a new visa category, H-1B, to allow employers in pressing need of specialized foreign personnel to import up to 65,000 temporary workers annually for stints that could extend to six years.

Eager to recruit foreign talent, the high-technology industry has made liberal use of both the permanent and temporary programs.

But some observers have voiced fears that the liberalized procedures may be taking jobs from U.S. citizens. With massive corporate downsizing in recent years, critics say, the once-anticipated shortage of U.S. workers with engineering and science backgrounds never materialized.

Nonetheless, congressional efforts to limit employers’ ability to hire from overseas died this year amid a barrage of opposition from business groups.