DOL launches 175 H-1B visa abuse investigations to protect American jobs

FIRST ON FOX: The Labor Department said it has opened at least 175 ongoing investigations targeting potential abuses in the H-1B visa program as part of its mission to protect American jobs and ensure only essential foreign workers are employed in the United States.

The DOL launched Project Firewall in September to ensure that employers prioritize qualified Americans for job positions and do not abuse the H1B visa program, which allows U.S. companies to hire foreign workers in specialized occupations.

The aggressive federal crackdown on potential abuse of the program includes Labor Department Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer herself confirming that investigations have been launched, Fox Digital has learned. This mechanism is one that has never been used by the ministry before.

“The Department of Labor is now using every resource at our disposal to put an end to H-1B visa abuse, and for the first time, I personally endorse investigations into suspected violations to better protect American jobs,” Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement to Fox News Digital. he said.

TRUMP’S H-1B VISA REFORM PLAN NEEDS TO PUT AMERICANS FIRST

“Under President Trump’s leadership, we will continue to invest in our workforce, ensuring that high-skilled job opportunities go first to American workers.”

DOL’s September announcement was made the same day that President Donald Trump signed a proclamation imposing a one-time $100,000 fee on H-1B visa petitions. The White House previously told Fox News Digital that the fee seeks to prevent “companies from spamming the system and undercutting wages with cheap foreign labor” while also encouraging “American businesses that really want to bring high-skilled workers to the United States.”

The Department of Labor could not elaborate on the specifics of the 175 current investigations, which account for more than $15 million in unpaid wages owed to workers, but told Fox Digital it had uncovered numerous concerns.

Investigations revealed that some foreign workers with advanced degrees were paid significantly less than what was promoted in the job description; The DOL said this lowers wages for both visa holders and American workers, while also forcing equally qualified American workers to accept lower wages to remain competitive.

Other studies have found that employers fail to even notify U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services of an H-1B visa holder’s termination, or that there are significant lag periods between termination and the employer notifying the agency that oversees the U.S. immigration system.

WALMART STOPS HIRING WORKERS WHO NEED H-1B VISAS AFTER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S NEW WAGE IMPLEMENTATION

Lori Chavez-DeRemer, secretary of the Department of Labor. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Fox News Digital has learned that other investigations center on documents employers submit to the DOL to hire H-1B holders, as well as other visa programs called Labor Status Applications (LCAs). Employers are required to notify American workers before hiring H-IB workers when applying for an LCA; This is part of a larger effort to ensure American workers get their first share of jobs, as well as accurately describe the job an employee will work in and detail the employee’s pay.

Inspectors found that the work sites listed in the LCA documents did not exist or that workers were unaware of the jobs they were expected to perform as stated in the applications. Other investigations have found that employees were paid less than stated in the LCA, or that employers sloppily copied and pasted job postings for American workers who had little connection to the job described in the LCA.

CLICK TO REACH THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION

President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on Friday, September 19, 2025. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

In other investigations, Fox Digital found that some employees participated in “backing up,” which means H-1B visa holders are not paid any money while they are between active work projects.

Many tech companies have embraced the H-1B visa program, which allows U.S. companies to hire foreign workers in specialized occupations, but critics of the program say H-1B holders are often selected for jobs over U.S. citizens. One reason for this is that foreign workers are tied to their employers through the H-1B visa (because a company must sponsor the visa), and so quitting can ultimately cause foreign workers to lose their visas and have no legal right to remain in the country.

Skillstorm CEO Justin Vianello told Fox News Digital last month that the U.S. work visa program is a “three-headed monster” and needs to be drastically reformed to avoid leaving American workers behind.

Trump administration earlier this year announced a suggestion It is designed to encourage employers to offer higher wages or reserve H-1B petitions for jobs that require advanced skills. The rule change, officially published in the Federal Register, comes just days after President Donald Trump signed a proclamation imposing a $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applications.

The $100,000 fee, a one-time fee valid only for new H-1B petitions, will apply in the next annual lottery, the system the U.S. government uses to select applications once the annual visa limit is reached.

“The whole idea now is that these Big Tech companies or other big companies are not going to train foreign workers. First they have to pay $100,000 to the government, and then they have to pay the employees, so it’s not like that [economical]“Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said as Trump signed the order.