The US President has signed the bill to increase the H-1B quota

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President Clinton signed the bill to increase the number of US temporary work visas for the next three years. The quota of the number of H-1B visas has been raised to 195,000 to allow skilled workers with job offers from US employers to obtain the necessary permits to work in the US. The new law also increases the application fee for an H-1B visa from $610 to $1110.

Other benefits for workers and employers under this law adds flexibility to their work permit. For instance the H-1B can now be extended in one-year increments if the worker has applied for employment based permanent residence before the current H-1B has expired. The H-1B non-immigrant worker may also begin working for a new employer once the petition for employment at the new employer has been submitted.