THE MUCH TALKED ABOUT IMMIGRATION AMENDMENT

has many people split in the industry. While California wineries back the proposal whole-heartedly, the National Restaurant Association (NRA) is a bit more skeptical. Many worry about the amendment cutting the temporary worker program in half and tripling the fees for processing skilled-worker visas.

Yahoo News reports that while John Gay, a lobbyist for the NRA, has concerns, it would be a “‘big negative’” not to pass immigration reform this year. John called the Senate vote last week to halve temporary visas each year to 200,000 “‘a very bad sign.’” They believe 400,000 temporary visas each year is necessary to keep up with demand.

The Senate also voted last week to hike the fees employers pay on H-1B visa applications to $5,000 from $1,500, according to Yahoo. This would clearly put another notable strain on the restaurant industry.