The U.S. Department of Labor announced the launch of Project Firewall, a new H-1B enforcement initiative that will protect the rights, pay, and career prospects of highly skilled American workers by forcing employers to hire qualified Americans first and holding employers accountable if they improperly use the H-1B visa process.
What is Project Firewall
A new enforcement initiative by the US Department of Labor (DoL) focused on the H-1B visa program. Its mission is to make sure employers must prioritize qualified American workers when hiring, and stop abuses of the H-1B process.
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Project Firewall Targets H-1B Visa Misuse
“The Trump Administration is keeping its promise to put an end to practices that leave Americans in the dust.” As we reclaim economic supremacy, we have to safeguard our greatest asset: the American worker. Project Firewall will enable us to ensure that no employers are exploiting H-1B visas against our workers,” commented U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer. “Through cracking down on fraud and abuse, the Department of Labor and our federal partners will make sure highly skilled jobs go to Americans first.”
As mandated under federal law, the department will investigate employers via Project Firewall to ensure optimum H-1B program compliance. To this end, the Secretary of Labor will personally sign off on investigations for the first time in the department’s history. This landmark action takes advantage of existing authority vested in the Secretary in case of reasonable cause to believe an H-1B employer is out of compliance.
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Strict Penalties for H-1B Program Violations
Secretary-certified cases, among other H-1B-related cases, are valuable enforcement tools the department will employ in Project Firewall to hold employers accountable and safeguard the rights of American workers. Infractions can lead to the recovery of back wages due to the harmed workers, the levying of civil money penalties, and/or exclusion from future participation in the H-1B program for a specified duration.
Moreover, the department will disseminate information and cooperate with appropriate government agencies, as authorized by law, to counteract discrimination against American workers and enforce the law effectively by invoking the entire power of the federal government.
In the department, the Office of Immigration Policy, Employment and Training Administration, and Wage and Hour Division will head Project Firewall with federal partners, such as the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
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H-1B Compliance Tools Available for Employers
The Wage and Hour Division provides several H-1B compliance aid tools to ensure that employers comply with the law. Employers and employees may call the division with questions at its toll-free number, 1-866-4-US-WAGE (487-9243).
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