Amid President Donald Trump’s crackdown on H-1B visas to protect American jobs, the administration has launched an investigation into 175 potential abuses of the visa program.
The Department of Labor (DOL) launched Project Firewall in September after Trump signed an executive order imposing a one-time $100,000 fee on H-1B visa applications to address potential abuse to protect American jobs, Fox News reported.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer told the newspaper that the Department of Labor is using all the resources it currently has to stop H-1B visa abuse.
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However, the labor office did not provide further details related to the investigation.
“For the first time, I am personally confirming an investigation into a suspected breach to better protect American jobs,” Chavez-DeRemer said.
Meanwhile, in a post on X, Chavez-DeRemer said the DOL is using all resources at its disposal to stop H-1B abuses and protect US jobs.
“Under the leadership of @POTUS, we will continue to invest in our workforce and ensure that high-skilled job opportunities come first for American Workers!”, she added.
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On September 19, the Trump administration introduced a new fee of $100,000 (approx ₹88 lakh) on new H-1B petitions, which companies pay to sponsor applicants. The statement announced “restrictions on the entry of certain nonimmigrant workers.”
Later, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) clarified that the $100,000 fee would not apply to “change of status” or “extension of stay” applicants.
But the move also sparked legal action by unions, employers and religious organizations in federal court in California.
The White House said the share of IT workers in the H-1B program has grown from 32% in fiscal year 2003 to an average of over 65% in the past five fiscal years, and argued that some of the most prolific H-1B employers have consistently been IT outsourcing companies.
Who gets exemptions?
According to USCIS, security waivers of up to $100,000 are granted in extremely rare circumstances if the Secretary of Homeland Security determines the purpose.
An exception is granted if:
— The presence of a particular alien worker in the United States as an H-1B worker is in the national interest
— There is no US worker available for this role
— The alien worker does not pose a threat to the security or welfare of the United States
— Requiring the requesting employer to make the payment on behalf of the alien would greatly undermine the interests of the United States.
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According to USCIS, Indians account for an estimated 71% of all approved H-1B applications in recent years.
Last month, Warren Harris, chief executive officer of Tata Technologies, said the fee hike had no short-term impact on the company.
“We are not a company outside of India. We were very much a global company, with most of our employees in different territories who were nationals of those countries,” Warren Harris told PTI.
