DOL to Ramp Up Fraud Probes of H Visa Programs

Sarah N. Lynch, Reuters, June 6, 2017 - "The U.S. Labor Department said on Tuesday it is stepping up efforts to root out potential fraud in its visa programs for foreign workers, a move that will include increases in both civil investigations as well as criminal referrals. The announcement by Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta follows President Donald Trump in April ordering a review of the U.S. visa program as part of his "America First" campaign pledge. Labor Department officials said Tuesday the increased enforcement efforts will involve all of the foreign visa worker programs, including H-2A and H-2B visas. Those steps include directing the department's wage and hour division to "use all its tools" to conduct civil probes, ramping up criminal referrals to the department's inspector general and instructing the employment and training office to propose changes to the H-1B labor condition application that companies file when they seek to hire foreign skilled guest workers. “Entities who engage in visa program fraud and abuse are breaking our laws and are harming American workers," Acosta said in a statement."