US Senators reintroduce Bill to tighten H-1B, L-1 visa rules, seek THESE changes

The top Republican and Democrat on the US Senate Judiciary Committee have revived a bipartisan push to overhaul the H-1B and L-1 visa programs, saying the system has been misused by large corporations at the expense of American workers. Apart from making the job postings public, the US Senators have also proposed introduction of a “specialty occupation” that would require at least a bachelor's degree.

Committee Chair Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, and Democratic ranking member Dick Durbin of Illinois have reintroduced the Bill. Here are what are the changes they have proposed:

1. It allows the Labor Department to levy fees to hire 100 additional enforcement officers.
2. The Bill proposes stricter wages and hiring standards. Also Read | US signals H-1B overhaul days after Trump's fee hike, calls influx of cheap tech consultants with families ‘just wrong’
3. The Senators have also proposed mandatory public job postings and narrower eligibility criteria for applicants.
4. The Bill introduces new wage and hiring rules for employers. It also proposes priority to H-1B applicants with STEM qualifications.
5. It also proposes to tighten the definition of “specialty occupation”. Under this, bachelor's degree would be needed.
6. Any employer found violating wage rules would be fined or even face debarment.

The legislation comes just weeks after the Trump administration increased imposed a $100,000 fee on new H-1B applications, intensifying scrutiny of the program. The H-1B visa, heavily used by U.S. tech firms to bring in skilled workers from countries like India and China, differs from the L-1 visa, which allows multinational firms to transfer employees from overseas branches.

Grassley and Durbin said they also wrote to ten major employers – including Amazon, Google parent Alphabet, and Meta Platforms – questioning their dependence on H-1B visas even while cutting domestic jobs. None of the companies immediately commented. Also Read | H-1B visa fee shock: What it means for India, China, and the US? Who wins, who loses? EXPLAINED

“Congress created the H-1B and L-1 visa programs as limited pathways for businesses to acquire top talent when it can't be found at home. But over the years, many employers have used them to cut out American workers in favor of cheap foreign labor,” Grassley said in a statement.

The measure has drawn support from Senators Tommy Tuberville, Richard Blumenthal and Bernie Sanders, who are listed among its original cosponsors.

(With Reuters inputs)