The 300-page bill, called the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, affects many aspects of immigration policy and security. And because the bill is so comprehensive and controversial, according to people on both sides of the issue, its fate doesn't rest solely on the H-1B visa issue. The bill could reach the Senate for a vote by the end of the month.

If the measure fails, H-1B proponents will try to get an increase added to some other bill, said Sandra Boyd, chairwoman of Compete America, a Washington-based group of businesses, industry groups and universities supporting a visa-cap increase, as well as green-card reforms that could speed up the permanent residency process. "We will continue to press on these issues," said Boyd.

On April 1, the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services will begin accepting applications for H-1B applications for the 2007 federal fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.

Last year, the immigration bureau cut off new applications in August after reaching the 65,000-visa limit now in place. That was the earliest date the cap has been reached. Vic Goel, an immigration attorney in Reston, Va., said he believes that visas will disappear at a similar pace this year -- if not faster.

"People have been waiting for the filing date to reopen, so certainly there is going to be some pent-up demand, without question," said Goel.