Visas for in-demand labor

The government gives specialized temporary visas to various workers, from athletes to fruit pickers to professors. Three of these types of visas are at the center of the immigration debate:

Visa Who receives Annual limit Period that visa is valid Issued to Mexicans in fiscal 2005

H-2A Agricultural workers, such as pickers and planters None One year 90%

H-2B Seasonal, non-agriculture workers, such as resort and construction workers 66,000{+1} One year 69%

H-1B Engineers, architects and others with specialized skills 65,000{+2} Three years; employer can petition for additional three years 2%

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006 ... kers_x.htm