U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne Introduces Legislation to Increase Penalties for H-1B Visa Fraud
U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) has introduced the H-1B Visa Fraud Crackdown Act, H.R. 10643, aimed at significantly increasing penalties for employers who commit serious violations within the H-1B visa program. This legislation seeks to preserve the H-1B program while implementing tougher enforcement measures. The bill proposes raising statutory maximum civil penalties for willful violations, material misrepresentations, and retaliation against employees from $5,000 to $100,000 per violation, and extending debarment periods from two to five years. For violations involving the displacement of a U.S. worker, the maximum penalty would increase from $35,000 to $250,000, with debarment extended from three to ten years. Additionally, penalties for certain immigration document fraud would rise from $250-$2,000 to $1,000-$10,000 per document, and for repeat offenders, from $2,000-$5,000 to $20,000-$50,000. This legislative effort follows Van Duyne's earlier request in May for a coordinated federal investigatio...
