H-1B visa fees may be going up

The Senate passed a bill this week that would raise H-1B visa fees to $5,000, up from the $1,500 currently charged. The amendment to the visa fees was contained in a far bigger spending bill that was passed by the Senate on Oct. 24. If the bill is approved by Congress and signed by President Bush, each visa would cost an additional $3,500.

What's a company to do? Well, not much. A spokesman for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) says that if companies want to hire foreign workers for jobs in which they claim there are talent shortages, those companies "should pay to help U.S. students fill those shortages in the longer term."

For more on plans to triple H-1B visa fees:
- see InformationWeek article