Tentative deal reached on high-tech visas in immigration bill

WASHINGTON — The outlines of a possible agreement emerged Tuesday on the criteria for high-skilled visas in the immigration overhaul, potentially paving the way for a key Republican senator to support the sweeping legislation and give it a boost when it comes to a committee vote.

Talks have dragged on for days between Republican Sen. Orrin G. Hatch of Utah and members of the bipartisan Senate group that is pushing the immigration bill on his proposals to loosen restrictions on visas for high-skilled workers. The issue is important to big business and particularly high-tech industries that have been lobbying hard for the changes.

Hatch wants to more quickly boost the number of visas available to foreign tech workers and also limit new rules that were designed to protect jobs for Americans.

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Organized labor has fought the changes, saying they would sap jobs from U.S. workers at a time of still-high unemployment.

Under the outlines of the emerging deal, Hatch’s proposal to allow a faster increase in the number of high-skilled visas available would be accepted unless the unemployment rate spikes above 4.5% in those industries, according to a Senate aide familiar with the talks.

Already, the bill nearly doubles the flow of such visas to 110,000 a year. The agreement would allow that number to more quickly escalate to the ultimate cap, 180,000 visas, as Hatch proposed.

The agreement also accepts some of Hatch’s proposals to loosen new requirements that are designed to protect U.S. workers from job losses due to the influx of foreign labor, the aide said.

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One would have required companies applying for high-skilled visas to first offer the jobs to “equally qualified” workers already in the U.S. Under the deal, that would only apply to companies that are already considered dependent on foreign high-skilled labor. Another would limit the restrictions to the initial visa application but not subsequent extensions.

Hatch had not yet signed off on the deal.

Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), a key member of the Senate group, has likewise not yet agreed publicly to the deal. Durbin has fought for worker protections and resisted yielding to Hatch.

But getting the veteran Republican senator’s support as the bill is set to be voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee this week could provide bipartisan momentum as the legislation heads to the full Senate for consideration.

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Lisa.Mascaro@latimes.com

Twitter: @LisaMascaroinDC