Overview

• Project Firewall is a new Department of Labor enforcement initiative intended to ensure employers do not misuse the H‑1B program or sideline qualified American workers.
• The launch coincided with a presidential executive order that requires a $100,000 payment with every H‑1B petition.
• Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer will personally certify the initiation of H‑1B investigations, using existing authority to act when there is reasonable cause of noncompliance.
• The Office of Immigration Policy, the Employment and Training Administration, and the Wage and Hour Division will lead the effort, coordinating with the DOJ Civil Rights Division, the EEOC, and USCIS.
• Violations could trigger back‑wage recovery, civil penalties, or debarment from the H‑1B program, with analysts noting potential cost and hiring impacts for U.S. tech employers and Indian IT firms, whose nationals received about 71% of H‑1B approvals last year.