H–1B and L–1 Visa Reform Act of 2020
Latest action · May 19, 2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMay 19, 2020
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
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.
Cosponsors 4
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on May 19, 2020.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I-VT | Bernard Sanders | Original | May 19, 2020 |
| D-CT | Richard Blumenthal | Original | May 19, 2020 |
| D-IL | Richard J. Durbin | Original | May 19, 2020 |
| D-OH | Sherrod Brown | Original | May 19, 2020 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 19, 2020Introduced in Senate
- May 19, 2020Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 6993 | H–1B and L–1 Visa Reform Act of 2020 | Identical bill | May 22, 2020 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: 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
- Immigration status and procedures
- Science and engineering education
- User charges and fees
- Visas and passports
- Wages and earnings
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 19, 2020Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.