Tech council: US needs more skilled worker visas

BOSTON — The state’s technology industry is criticizing President Obama for failing to increase the supply of visas for highly skilled workers.

The Massachusetts High Tech Council said the workers are critical to the state’s technology sector and the lack of so-called “H-1B” visas presents a looming crisis for the economy, driving technology companies to expand outside the country.

The council said existing immigration laws make it prohibitively difficult for technology firms to move foreign-born employees from overseas to their Massachusetts facilities.

The council is calling on Congress to eliminate the current annual cap of 65,000 H-1B visas and allow up to 300,000 to be issued each year.

Obama’s recent executive order on immigration didn’t increase the number of the visas, although he promised to streamline some of the rules governing them.