With a crunch on H1-B applications expected, businesses have turned to an alternative: the L-1 visa.

On April 1, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' office will be hit with an avalanche of H-1B visa applications for the 2009 fiscal year.

If the showing is anything like last year—and observers expect there to be more, not less, of a rush—the number of applications received will reach so far beyond the 65,000 cap that none will be accepted after the first day.

Proponents of overseas recruitment, such as Bill Gates and other large technology companies continue to argue there are an insufficient number of American engineers and that a shortage of available H-1B visas makes the United States less competitive in the global economy. Opponents, however, argue that the system is rife with abuse and that foreigners put U.S. workers out of jobs.

Read the full story: Lawyer: L-1 Visas Used to Dodge H1-B Regulations