The immigration reform bill introduced by a bipartisan group of senators last week would make it easier for skilled workers to come to this country while toughening rules to prevent abuse in temporary work visas.

Many skilled workers and their families spend a decade or more waiting for employment-based green cards, which are capped at 140,000 a year and are subject to per-country limits. The bill addresses this problem by temporarily raising limits to clear a backlog of 234,000 applications for employment-based permanent visas. It would also exempt spouses and children of workers from the limits, which should free up nearly 80,000 visas a year.

via Visa Reforms for Skilled Workers – NYTimes.com.