The US Department of Labor (DOL) has opened at least 175 investigations into possible misuse of the H-1B visa programme, Fox News reported. The step comes after the Trump administration earlier launched Project Firewall and imposed a $100,000 fee on new H-1B applications, aiming to ensure employers don’t overlook qualified American workers and hire foreign workers only when they are genuinely needed.
DOL launches major crackdown on H-1B visa abuse
The DOL rolled out a new initiative in September called Project Firewall. The goal is to stop companies from abusing the visa system and make sure Americans get the first chance at available jobs. The H-1B visa allows companies in the US to bring in foreign workers for specialised roles, especially in fields like tech, engineering, and healthcare.
According to Fox News, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is personally certifying these investigations. The department has never used this power before. Speaking to Fox News Digital, she said, “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.”
She added, “Under the leadership of President Trump, we will continue to invest in our workforce, ensuring high-skilled job opportunities go to American workers first.”
Claims being probed in 175 H-1B cases
The Department of Labor did not give a breakdown of the 175 investigations, which together involve more than $15 million in potentially manipulated or unpaid wages. But the agency told Fox Digital that investigators have already uncovered several serious problems. Here are some of the issues uncovered:
Some foreign workers, even those with advanced degrees, were paid far less than what employers claimed in job descriptions. This lowers wages for everyone, including American workers in the same roles.
In several cases, employers failed to inform the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) when an H-1B worker was fired. Some waited weeks or months to report it.
Problems with Labor Condition Applications (LCAs)
LCAs are documents employers file with the DOL when they want to hire an H-1B worker. They include details like job duties, location, and salary. Investigators found several issues:
Like, Job sites listed on LCAs didn’t actually exist. Some workers didn’t even know about the jobs they were supposedly assigned. Salaries paid were lower than what employers had promised. Companies copied and pasted job notices with little or no link to the actual role.
Some workers were found to be “benched,” meaning they were not paid while they were between projects. This is illegal under H-1B rules.
Trump’s new fee and the September order
Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation that adds a one-time $100,000 fee to all new H-1B applications. The White House explained that the fee is meant to stop companies from flooding the system with low-quality or cheap labour requests and to force employers to bring in only highly skilled workers.Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, during the signing, said: “The whole idea is no more will these Big Tech companies or other big companies train foreign workers. They have to pay the government $100,000, then they have to pay the employee, so it’s just not [economical].”