Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Reform H-1B and L-1 Visa

India-West Staff Reporter

WASHINGTON, DC. — Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IO) and Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-IL) have reintroduced bipartisan legislation aimed at overhauling the H-1B and L-1 visa programs to prevent abuse, protect American workers, and enhance transparency in hiring foreign labor.

The H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act targets what the senators describe as widespread misuse of the programs, including the displacement of U.S. workers and the exploitation of foreign employees with depressed wages and poor working conditions.

“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. “Our bill would bring integrity back to these programs and restore dignity for American and foreign workers.”

Durbin echoed the concern, highlighting recent layoffs by major companies alongside heavy visa hiring. “Congress must step in to protect American workers and fix our broken immigration system. Senator Grassley and I will work to make this bipartisan bill the law of the land,” he said.

Key proposals in the bill include:

• Enhanced wage and recruitment requirements for employers seeking to hire H-1B and L-1 workers.
• Mandatory posting of H-1B job openings on a searchable Department of Labor (DOL) website for U.S. workers and laid-off foreign employees.
• Authorization for the DOL to impose fees on labor condition applications, funding the hiring of 200 additional DOL staff to enforce program rules.
• H-1B program reforms, including prioritizing visas for workers with higher education in STEM fields and tightening the definition of a “specialty occupation” to require a bachelor’s degree or higher.
• L-1 program reforms, including new time limits, stricter evidentiary requirements for “new office” petitions, and mandatory cooperation from the State Department in verifying foreign affiliates.
• Increased penalties for wage violations, including fines or potential debarment of offending employers.

Original cosponsors of the bill include Sens. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

The senators’ move comes after letters were sent last week to 10 major U.S. employers, including Amazon, Google, and Meta, questioning their heavy reliance on foreign labor while simultaneously laying off American workers.