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US Senator targets H-1B exemptions for universities, research bodies

Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas and a long-time critic of high-skilled immigration programs, has argued that the H-1B system disadvantages American workers.

Senator Tom Cotton. / Office of Senator Tom Cotton

A top Republican Senator introduced legislation on Oct.1 that would end exemptions allowing universities, research institutions, and nonprofits to hire unlimited numbers of foreign workers under the H-1B visa program. This move could directly affect international faculty and researchers at US institutions.

"Colleges and universities shouldn't get special treatment for bringing in woke and anti-American professors from around the world," Senator Tom Cotton said in a statement announcing the measure. "My bill closes these loopholes that universities have abused for far too long."

The proposal, known as the Visa Cap Enforcement Act, aims to tighten the numerical limits on H-1B visas by eliminating long-standing exceptions in US immigration law. Currently, universities, affiliated nonprofits, and research centres are exempt from the annual cap of 85,000 on H-1B visas. Cotton's legislation would strike those provisions, forcing all such hires to fall under the same quota that applies to private companies.

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