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US govt launches at least 175 investigations into potential H-1B abuse 'to protect American jobs'
The US Department of Labour had launched Project Firewall in September to push companies towards hiring qualified Americans for job positions.
The United States Department of Labour has said that it has launched 175 investigations into what it terms potential abuses of the US H-1B visa program.
The investigations come even as the Donald Trump-led administration has initiated a crackdown on immigration, and is seeking to reform the H-1B program to geared towards reducing the number of foreign workers hired by companies in the US.
The US labour department had launched Project Firewall in September to examine compliance of the H-1B visa program. The program is aimed towards prohibiting companies from hiring ower-paid foreign workers for tech and engineering jobs ahead of American workers.
The program allows companies in the US to hire foreign workers for specialised roles.
Amid the crackdown on potential abuse of the visa program, US Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is personally certifying the initiation of these investigations, according to Fox News.
“The Labor Department is using every resource currently at our disposal to put a stop to H-1B visa abuse, and for the first time, I am personally certifying investigations into suspected violations to better protect American jobs,” Fox News Digital quoted Chavez-DeRemer as saying.
US Department of Labour's ad against hiring of foreign workers
The Department of Labour recently ran a new campaign video on social media, accusing businesses of exploiting the H-1B visa program by hiring foreign workers to replace young Americans.
The ad specifically highlighted India as the largest beneficiary of the visa program.
In the post on social media, the department said that the “American Dream” had been “stolen” from young Americans. “…Jobs have been replaced by foreign workers due to rampant abuse of the H-1B visa,” the post said.
“Under the President of the United States and Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer leadership, we’re holding companies accountable for their abuse and recapturing the American Dream for the AMERICAN PEOPLE,” the department asserted.
The Trump administration had in September announced the introduction of a $100,000 one-time fee for H-1B visa applications.
