Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., a known opposer to immigration, has introduced a bill in the House to shut down the H1B visa category which allows immigrants to work in the U.S. on the temporary permit.

The sluggish US economy, the uproar over outsourcing and the rising unemployment rate have fuelled the need for steps to keep American jobs from being lost to countries like India, said senior aides to Tancredo.

The aides, including one who drafted Tancredo's 15-line bill proposing the elimination of all visas allowed under the H1-B category, said that “the high-tech industry itself which fought so hard for the expansion of the number of IT professionals allowed into the country are projecting that the technology job outlook will remain soft and that more jobs will be outsourced overseas to countries like India, so why do we need this category at all.”

“It is no secret that American workers in the technology industry are losing their jobs to the upsurge in outsourcing, so the Congressman strongly believes that this category (H1-B) has to be done away with to protect the few American jobs and American workers remaining in this industry,” they said.

“You bet we are going to push like crazy to make sure this bill progresses and ensure that all those who are for it and against it are counted when we finally try and get a vote on it,” one of the aides said.

Tancredo is also chairman of the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus. Three years ago, the Congress raised the cap on the H1B category to about 193,000. In 2001, just over 160,000 visas were issued, and in 2002 this fell to about 79,000. The quota automatically reverts to 65,000 by October 1, this year, if the Congress doesn’t pass a new bill.

Indian IT professionals have claimed at least 50 percent of the quota allotted, but in recent times, this percentage has changed. Jeff Lande, VP of Information Technology Association of America says the chances of the bill passing are slim. “The approach is wrong,” says Lande. “A reasonable approach would be for Congress to continue business immigration so that companies in the U.S. would have access to workers they need.” He cites testimony by one economist recently before the House Small Business subcommittee that predicted that there would job shortages in the U.S. again, once the economy picks up.

Lande says that closing down the H1B visa program would lead to more offshore business, leading to further losses in jobs within the U.S. He says chances of the bill passing are slim, but there would be lively debate on it once the Congress meets after the recess.