H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act Reintroduced
October 06, 2025
On September 29, 2025, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairperson Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) reintroduced bipartisan legislation to reform the H-1B and L-1 visa programs. The bill seeks to impose stricter requirements on employers that rely heavily on these visas and to strengthen enforcement mechanisms.
Key Provisions
- Expanded Oversight: Grants the Department of Labor (DOL) new authority and resources to enforce program rules, including authority to place fees on labor condition applications to fund 200 additional staff.
- Agency Cooperation: Requires DOL and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to share information and conduct annual H-1B and L-1 compliance audits, with support from the Department of State in verifying foreign affiliates.
- Employer Requirements: Introduces new wage requirements to follow the highest of the prevailing wage, median wage, or wage level 2 for the area of employment. It introduces new internet recruitment requirements. And it updates the non-displacement attestations. Employers must also post H-1B job openings on a public DOL website accessible to U.S. workers and laid-off H-1B employees.
- H-1B Reforms: Prioritizes visa issuance for workers with advanced STEM education and narrows the definition of “specialty occupation” to require at least a US bachelor’s degree or the foreign equivalent degree.
- Elimination of the “B-1 in lieu of H-1” category. The bill would end the current practice of allowing foreign nationals to enter the U.S. on a B-1 visa to perform short-term H-1B services in limited circumstances while remaining on a foreign payroll.
- L-1 Reforms: Sets stricter time limits and evidentiary requirements for “new office” petitions. Restricting L-1B employees to no more than 1 year of placement at a 3rd party site. Establishing wage requirements for L-1 employees. Tightening the definition of L-1B Specialized Knowledge.
- Penalties: Increases fines and authorizes debarment for wage violations and other noncompliance.
SOURCE: www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/rep/releases/grassley-durbin-propose-bipartisan-h-1b-and-l-1-visa-reforms-to-protect-american-workers-and-stop-outsourcing-jobs