Here you go...

Dear Congressman XXXX:

Subject: Please support Section 8001, Recapture of unused visa numbers, of the Senate Deficit Reduction Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 2006.

I am a concerned constituent and I urge you to vote in support of the Senate modifications incorporated in the Deficit Reduction Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 2006 (S. 1932) passed by the Senate. Besides incorporating the House recommendations of increasing the L-1 visa fees, Section.8001 - Recapture of unused visa numbers, has provisions that serve to alleviate the problems of the American industry and numerous applicants. The action taken by the Senate Judiciary Committee proposes an increase in revenue by recapturing authorized, but never used, visa numbers for foreign workers with key skills in jobs for which U.S. workers are not available.

1. It may be noted that professionals who will be considered for these recaptured visa numbers, in most cases, are already employed in U.S. companies for the last 4-6 years and are law-abiding, tax-paying legal residents. They have been certified by the U.S. Department of Labor as high-skilled workers who will not be displacing existing American workers in the market. These applicants also have been certified to be highly qualified and suitable for the positions that the immigration opportunity is for.

2. The version proposed by the Senate Judiciary Committee has fee increases for L-1 as recommended by the House Judiciary Committee. It also proposes to raise the revenue from the recaptured visas.

3. The Senate Judiciary package would recapture unused employment based visas. This enables the U.S. industry to attract and retain the best talent from around the world, which is a major factor for American competitiveness. Arbitrary quotas on employment-based green cards for highly educated and skilled workers would jeopardize America's ability to attract and retain best talent-and ultimately jobs-in the United States.

4. The Senate Judiciary proposal permits the filing of I-485 application without having to wait for the priority date to become current. If this important proposal is not passed it hurts many highly skilled and qualified professionals currently holding key positions in the U.S. Without the ability to file for I-485 many qualified professionals will be forced to leave the U.S. and return back to their own countries taking highly specialized knowledge and experience with them. This is a major long term disadvantage for the US.

I, hereby urge you to vote in support of Section 8001, Recapture of unused visa numbers, of the Senate Deficit Reduction Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 2006 when it comes up for consideration. Your vote will not only address the issue of deficit reduction but will also ensure that the United States of America will be in the forefront of science and technology and will retain the best talent from around the world.

Sincerely,

Joe Johns
Email: [e-mail]