Gates urges an end to HI-B visa limits
Washington: Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates has urged the Bush administration and lawmakers today to abolish immigration limits on foreign engineers who can be hired by US companies.

During an infrequent visit to lobby personally for changes in federal policy, Gates said the government should eliminate the limit of 65,000 for overseas workers who can be hired each year by American firms under specialty H1-B visas aimed at drawing engineers, scientists, architects and doctors to the United States.

"The whole idea of the H1-B visa thing is, don't let too many smart people come into the country," Gates said during an invitation-only panel discussion at the Library of Congress.

"The thing basically doesn't make sense."

Gates and other leading technology executives have pressed Congress aggressively to let them hire more foreign employees by raising visa limits, but Gates hasn't previously campaigned to abolish the immigration law entirely.

Technology executives have argued they are unable to find qualified American workers, a contention disputed by US labour groups and unemployed computer engineers.
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