An uncertain number

Debate over H-1B visas for foreign workers has often turned on how many to permit into the country each year.

Congress raised the annual cap on H-1Bs from 65,000 to 115,000 in 1998 after strong lobbying from tech industries, especially in booming Silicon Valley. In 2001, it was raised again, to 195,000, where it is slated to stay through 2003. Rep. Tom Tancredo, a Republican from Colorado, has proposed returning the limit to 65,000 next year. That bill is in committee.

It's widely thought there are about 600,000 H-1B workers in the United States. But the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which is under sharp criticism these days for lax recordkeeping, said it is unable to provide a specific number or details, such as an up-to-date breakdown of H-1Bs by state. A spokesman for the agency said updated statistics are available on its Web site, but the latest numbers online are from March 2001.

A database of the labor condition applications, filed by employers with the Department of Labor before they file an H-1B request, shows more than 400 requests from Tampa companies last year and 72 from St. Petersburg companies.

In 2002, seven Tampa companies have made such application. However, it is impossible to estimate how many of the preliminary Labor Department applications result in H-1B visa filings; there are typically many more Labor filings than visa requests.

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