The top Republican and Democrat on the US Senate Judiciary Committee have reintroduced legislation to toughen rules on the H-1B and L-1 worker visa programmes, saying the reforms are needed to close loopholes and stop misuse by large employers.
Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, and Democratic ranking member Dick Durbin of Illinois said the Bill would raise wage and hiring standards, make public job postings mandatory and narrow visa eligibility.
The move comes weeks after the Trump administration imposed a $100,000 fee on new H-1B applications, creating unease among companies that depend on the visas to bring in talent. The H-1B visa is widely used by the US technology sector to hire skilled workers, especially from India and China. The L-1 visa, by contrast, allows multinational firms to transfer staff from overseas offices into the US.
The senators revealed they had written to ten major US employers, including Amazon, Alphabet’s Google and Meta Platforms, asking them to explain their reliance on H-1B visas while laying off staff.