This bill significantly strengthens the Department of Labor's oversight and enforcement of the H-1B and L-1 visa programs used by employers to hire foreign workers. For H-1B visas, the bill requires all applications to be publicly posted online, extends the agency's review period from 7 to 14 days to better detect fraud, allows the Labor Department to launch investigations on its own authority, extends the complaint filing deadline from one year to two years, and mandates annual audits of at least 1% of H-1B employers—with mandatory audits of companies where more than 15% of workers hold H-1B visas. For L-1 visas (used for intracompany transfers), the bill restricts employers from stationing foreign workers at outside companies for more than a year without Labor Department approval, requires employers to prove they have not displaced U.S. workers, and mandates that L-1 workers receive wages equal to the highest of local prevailing wage, median occupation wage, or national median wage for their skill level, plus equivalent benefits to U.S. workers. The bill also requires the Labor Department to establish a 24/7 complaint hotline and mandates annual reporting to Congress on visa approvals, denials, worker demographics, and compensation. These requirements take effect immediately upon enactment for all new visa petitions and applications.
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