3.0.0 3770 2023-01-11T13:42:39Z 2023-01-11T13:42:39Z Senate S 2020-05-19 116 ssju00 Judiciary Committee Senate Standing Referred to 2020-05-19T22:01:34Z H–1B and L–1 Visa Reform Act of 2020 116 6993 HR 2020-05-22 Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. Identical bill CRS 2020-05-19 ssju00 Judiciary Committee Senate Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. IntroReferral 2020-05-19 Introduced in Senate IntroReferral 10000 9 Library of Congress G000386 Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA] Charles Grassley R IA E. N D000563 Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] Richard Durbin D IL J. 2020-05-19 True B001277 Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] Richard Blumenthal D CT 2020-05-19 True B000944 Sen. Brown, Sherrod [D-OH] Sherrod Brown D OH 2020-05-19 True S000033 Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] Bernard Sanders I VT 2020-05-19 True Immigration Administrative law and regulatory procedures Administrative remedies Civil actions and liability Congressional oversight Department of Labor Foreign labor Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management Government studies and investigations Immigration status and procedures Science and engineering education User charges and fees Visas and passports Wages and earnings Immigration 00 2020-05-19 Introduced in Senate 2021-08-18T14:05:02Z H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act of 2020

This bill modifies requirements related to H-1B (specialty occupation) and L-1 (intracompany transfers) nonimmigrant visas and contains related provisions.

Provisions relating to H-1B visas include

  • requiring the Department of Labor to review petitions for indicators of fraud or misrepresentation of material fact;
  • requiring the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to prioritize certain petitions, with top priority for workers with advanced degrees in science, technology, or engineering;
  • requiring an H-1B worker to possess at minimum a bachelor's degree to meet specialty occupation requirements (currently, relevant experience may be used instead); and
  • prohibiting an alien classifiable in certain H-1B categories from obtaining a B-1 (temporary business visitor) visa.

Provisions relating to L-1 visas include

  • requiring a waiver from Labor for an L-1 worker to be primarily stationed with an employer other than the petitioning employer;
  • prohibiting an alien from receiving an L-1 visa to open or be employed in a new office if the alien has received two or more such visas in the last two years; and
  • increasing the L-1 worker minimum wage to the highest of certain amounts, such as the median wage for the worker's occupational classification in the area of employment (currently, an L-1 worker must be paid at least the higher of the federal or state minimum wage).

In regards to both visas, the bill (1) expands the authority of DHS and Labor to take various enforcement actions, and (2) directs DHS to conduct annual audits of a certain percentage of employers.

]]> H–1B and L–1 Visa Reform Act of 2020 Display Title H–1B and L–1 Visa Reform Act of 2020 Short Title(s) as Introduced H–1B and L–1 Visa Reform Act of 2020 Introduced in Senate IS Official Title as Introduced A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to reform and reduce fraud and abuse in certain visa programs for aliens working temporarily in the United States, and for other purposes. Introduced in Senate IS Introduced in Senate 2020-05-19T04:00:00Z https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-116s3770is/xml/BILLS-116s3770is.xml 2020-05-19 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries and statuses for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.