WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the Senate continues debate on comprehensive immigration reform, U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) announced the introduction of their bipartisan amendment that would require that employers first offer a vacant position to an equally or better qualified American worker before seeking an H-1B visa holder. The amendment would protect American workers by requiring companies to first offer the job to a U.S. worker if they are equally or better qualified than applicants overseas.
“To fix our broken immigration system, we must require that everyone play by the same rules,” Brown said. “My amendment would ensure that qualified U.S. workers are given a fair shot at a fair wage for jobs before businesses seek visas for skilled workers. It is the right thing to do for our country’s hard working men and women, and it is the right way to move our immigration system forward.”
“The intent of the H-1B visa program was to allow employers to hire high skilled foreign talent when there was a shortage of U.S. workers,” Grassley said. “However, the program has undermined U.S. workers and allowed employers to hire cheaper foreign labor. All employers should be required to make a good faith effort to recruit Americans, and all employers should be required to hire them if they are equally or better qualified.”
Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Jeff Sessions (R-AL) are cosponsors of the amendment.
Grassley and Brown also introduced the H-1B and L-1 Visa Fraud and Abuse Protection Act of 2013, which would provide additional oversight of the H-1B visa program by requiring all employers to make a good faith effort to hire an American worker, advertise an opening for at least 30 days before applying for an H-1B visa, and improve the wage requirements for employers who hire H-1B workers. The legislation would also authorize the Department of Labor to investigate fraud and abuse as well as strengthen whistleblower protections for H-1B visa holders.
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