Workers: H.R. 1645 (2007)

H.R. 1645, the Security Through Regularized Immigration and a Vibrant Economy (STRIVE) Act, would establish the H-2C guestworker program, through which 400,000 new workers (plus their spouses and minor children on an unlimited basis) may come to the United States annually. In addition, it would allow the annual cap on H-2C visas to be increased to as many as 600,000. These guestworkers would be allowed to stay up to six years, during which time they could petition for lawful permanent resident (LPR) status at any time. In addition to the H-2C provisions, the STRIVE Act would more than double the number of employment-based (EB) immigrant visas available annually; would exempt EB immigrants seeking admission to work in shortage occupations from numerical caps through fiscal year 2017; would vastly increase the cap on H-1B visas (i.e., a minimum cap of 115,000 per year); would create various permanent exemptions from numerical caps on admission for high skill aliens; would extend the authorized stay of L-1 intracompany transferee/specialized knowledge nonimmigrants (no cap on these visas) for whom applications for LPR status are pending.