미 의회는 해외 과학자와 기술자, 고학력 노동자들에 대한 취업비자를 연간 6만5천개만 발급할 수 있도록 제한하고 있습니다.
미국 시민권 및 이민 담당국은 정확히 몇명이 취업비자 발급을 신청했는지 밝히지 않았으나 당국이 접수를 받은 지 1주일도 안돼 할당량이 초과했다고 밝혔습니다.
이민국은 비자 추첨 장소는 발표하지 않았습니다.
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U.S. immigration officials say they have received too many visa applications from highly skilled workers and will have to use a lottery to determine who will be allowed to enter the country.
Congress has limited the number of H-1B visas for foreign scientists, engineers and other workers with advanced degrees to 65-thousand a year.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services would not say exactly how many people applied for the visas, but said the quota was surpassed less than a week after the agency started accepting applications.
Immigration officials have not announced when the visa lottery will take place.
The visas allow workers to work in the U.S. for up to six years, starting in October (the start of the 2009 fiscal year).