Senators’ New “Anti-Outsourcing” Bill Could Seriously Impact the Number of Foreign Workers Companies Can Employ
If you wish to come to America to work for a specific company, you might apply for an H1-B Specialty Occupation visa or an L-1 Intracompany Transferee visa. These are just two of the options for non-immigrant visas, which are the visas for which you may apply when you are not be planning on becoming a permanent resident or starting your path towards citizenship, both in Tennessee or throughout America.
However, two US senators – Chuck Grassley (R) from Iowa and Dick Durbin (D) from Illinois – recently “introduced a bill that would require all companies that want to hire workers under H-1Bs to first try harder to hire U.S. citizens. In addition, firms that employ more than 50 people and have more than half of their staff on H-1B and L-1 visas would be prohibited from hiring new workers on H-1Bs,” according to this summary by the Wall Street Journal. They claim that the new bill “would end these abuses [by companies which outsource] and protect American and foreign workers from exploitation.”
The proposed bill would also prohibit firms from firing or laying off US workers in order to replace them with visa holders. It is primarily aimed at companies that outsource US workers, although its effects could may have a longer reach over time.
The bill does offer some benefits: L-1 visa workers would have a guaranteed minimum wage, and the Department of Homeland Security would be tasked with making sure that companies are not exploiting the system, giving L-1 workers another level of security. The bill “would also seek assurance from firms that make intra-company transfers of people with specialized knowledge that take place between legitimate branches of an organization and don’t involve shell facilities.” (A “shell facility” is a company that exists mostly on paper and does little or nothing to further a business.)
So far, the bill is just a bill, and it can take a long time for bills to be made into laws; most proposed bills do not become law or are amended in the process. What the bill’s effects would mean on the American economy and on the ability for foreign workers to come to the US remains to be seen. We will continue to follow this story so check back here often for updates.
If you have questions regarding non-immigrant visas, or if you need to speak with a Nashville immigration attorney about your employment status, contact Nashville Immigration attorney Perry A. Craft for more information. We are here to help.
Perry A. Craft has dedicated his life to helping people in need. He has tried, settled, or resolved numerous civil and criminal cases in State and Federal courts, and has represented teachers and administrators before school boards, administrative judges, and the state Board of Education. Learn more about Attorney Craft.