E-Paper
US senators submit bill seeking changes in H-1B visa system: What are they?
The Trump administration recently announced a $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applications, which would impact Indians looking to work in the US on temporary visas.
Top lawmakers of the US Senate have introduced a bill to tighten rules on the H-1B worker visa programme to target what they argue are loopholes and abuse by employers. This move would further impact Indians the most, who make up over 70 per cent of H-1B visa holders.
The bill would also impact the L-1 visa system, which allows multinational corporations to shift existing employees from foreign offices to the US.
This legislation has been proposed by Republican Chuck Grassley and Democrat Dick Durbin, who want to “target visa fraud and abuse” and provide “protections for American workers”.
ALSO READ | US Senate bill seeks to further tighten H-1B access. What it means for Indians
Notably, the H-1B visa programme, used by the US technology sector to hire skilled overseas workers mainly from India and China, has been under the spotlight after the Donald Trump administration imposed a $100,000 fee on new applications earlier this month.
What does the bill demand?
Here’s a look at the changes the proposed bill aims to make:
- The legislation aims to tighten rules by raising wage and hiring standards, making public job postings compulsory, and narrowing visa eligibility.
- The bill presents new wage and recruitment guidelines for employers, which include prioritising H-1B visas for workers with STEM degrees.
- It tightens the definition of “specialty occupation” to require at least a bachelor’s degree.
- Any employer found violating wage rules would be subject to fines or even debarment.
- It authorises the Labour Department to collect fees to employ 100 new enforcement staff members.
ALSO READ | What US commerce secy Lutnick said on H1-B visa and ‘inexpensive tech consultants’
H-1B and L-1 visas face tougher restrictions
“Major companies are laying off thousands of American workers while filing thousands of visa petitions for foreign workers at depressed wages and poor working conditions,” Durbin said.
Earlier last week, both senators, who had introduced the legislation in 2007, sent letters to 10 major US employers, including Amazon, Alphabet’s Google and Meta Platforms, asking why they were relying on H-1B visas even while laying off American workers.
The Donald Trump administration also recently announced a $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applications, which would impact Indian professionals looking to work in the US on temporary visas.
US immigration agencies have also announced plans to rejig the H-1B visa lottery to favour higher-skilled and higher-paid foreign workers. The Department of Labour has also launched Operation Firewall, an enforcement effort to crack down on fraud and misuse of the H-1B programme.
