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According to an update from US Citizenship and Immigration Service, the quota of 20,000 H1B visas for those with Master's Degrees or higher was exhausted on January 17, 2006.
Under current law, the annual cap on the H-1B category is 65,000 (down from 195,000 in financial year 2003). Within the quota of 65,000, Congress created an exemption for 20,000 foreign nationals earning advanced degrees from US universities.
The US announced this week its plans for a "paperless" U.S. visa application system that will enable foreigners to apply for visas electronically and use digital video technology to conduct remote interviews. The country will also allow U.S. citizens to use new simplified "passport cards" instead of regular passports when traveling to and from Canada and Mexico after Jan. 1, 2008.
Immigrants in Canada have traditionally supported the ruling Liberal party. However, in this election, immigrants appear split.
Increasing skilled immigration will create a more powerful economy in Australia and make people richer on average, the Government's leading agency for economic analysis says. In a report entitled Economic Impacts of Migration and Population Growth, the Productivity Commission says much of the new wealth will be received by the migrants themselves.
The 2010 Winter Olympics to be held in Canada are four years away but already concerns about labour shortages and ballooning construction costs are prompting Canada to scour other countries for skilled labour.
Organizers, politicians and construction experts say they're increasingly worried that a shortage of skilled workers will pose serious problems for the Games.
