Bill Would Overhaul H-1B and L-1 Visa Programs

Last week Assistant Senate Majority Leader Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) introduced legislation that would completely reform the H-1B and L-1 visa guest worker programs. The H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act (S. 887) aims to close perceived loopholes in the programs that critics argue allow foreign workers to displace qualified Americans seeking the same employment.

According to a press release issued by Sen. Durbin:

The H-1B visa program should complement the U.S. workforce, not replace it . . . Congress created the H-1B visa program so an employer could hire a foreign guest-worker when a qualified American worker could not be found. However, the H-1B visa program is plagued with fraud and abuse and is now a vehicle for outsourcing that deprives qualified American workers of their jobs. Our bill will put a stop to the outsourcing of American jobs and discrimination against American workers.

To this end, the new bill would do the following:

  • Require all employers who want to hire an H-1B professional to first make a good-faith attempt to recruit a qualified American worker. Employers would be prohibited from using H-1B visa holders to displace qualified American workers.
  • Prohibit the practice of advertising “H-1B only” ads and prohibit employers from hiring additional H-1B and L-1 professionals if more than 50% of their employees are H-1B and L-1 visa holders.

To counter the perceived lack of federal oversight of the H-1B program, the new legislation would give the government more authority to conduct employer investigations and streamline the investigative process. Such measures would include:

  • Permitting the Department of Labor (DOL) to initiate investigations without a complaint and without the Labor Secretary’s personal authorization;
  • Authorizing the DOL to review H-1B applications for fraud;
  • Allowing the DOL to conduct random audits of any company that uses the H-1B program; and
  • Requiring the DOL to conduct annual audits of companies that employ large numbers of H-1B workers.

As for reforming the L-1 program, which allows companies to transfer certain employees from their foreign facilities to their U.S. offices for up to seven years, the new bill would establish for the first time a process to investigate, audit and penalize L-1 visa abuses.

This bill has been referred to Senate Committee on the Judiciary.

 

Information contained in this publication is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or opinion, nor is it a substitute for the professional judgment of an attorney.