To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to base the numerical limitations for H–2B nonimmigrants on economic need, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · March 6, 2024
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
The Closing the Workforce Gap Act of 2024 reforms the H-2B temporary worker visa program, which allows employers to hire foreign workers for seasonal and non-agricultural jobs. The bill ties the number of available H-2B visas to actual labor demand by basing caps on Department of Labor-certified positions rather than fixed numbers, while exempting rural and seasonal employers from numerical caps. The legislation strengthens worker protections by requiring employers to maintain workplace safety plans, prohibiting employers from charging workers fees related to the visa process, and increasing penalties for violations from $150 to $350 for certain offenses and up to $10,000 for intentional misrepresentation. It also establishes a formal complaint process allowing workers to report violations up to two years after an incident and authorizes the Labor Department to impose penalties, unpaid wages recovery, and disqualification from the program for up to five years for willful violations. Additionally, the bill requires employers to notify immigration authorities within three business days if workers fail to report to work or other employment conditions change, and creates a system for designating eligible countries based on fraud rates, visa overstay rates, and worker compliance metrics.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.