Overview
- The department says the probes, initiated after September’s launch of Project Firewall, target potential abuses to prioritize U.S. workers.
- Officials report the investigations account for more than $15 million in calculated back wages owed to employees.
- Allegations include underpaying compared with stated job descriptions, inaccurate or fictitious Labor Condition Applications and worksites, failures to notify USCIS after terminations, and unpaid benching.
- The push follows a presidential proclamation imposing a $100,000 one‑time fee on new H‑1B petitions, with USCIS clarifying it does not apply to changes of status or extensions.
- Labor officials have amplified the crackdown with social media ads highlighting 'H‑1B abuse' and India’s large share of approvals, as lawsuits and employer challenges to the new fee proceed in federal court.