This bill modifies how the federal government awards H-1B visas, which are used by employers to temporarily hire foreign workers in specialty occupations. Currently, the government uses a lottery system to award these visas, but the American Worker Protection Act would change this to a wage-based system where visas are granted first to applicants offering the highest compensation to workers, prioritizing those down to the lowest compensation. The bill affects employers seeking to hire foreign workers and the workers themselves, as it would theoretically incentivize companies to offer higher wages to secure visa approvals. The Department of Homeland Security would be required to develop rules to implement this new system before the first fiscal year following the bill's enactment, with no specific funding amount specified in the legislation.
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