Sen. Grassley Asks USCIS to Eliminate H-1B Fraud
Sen. Chuck Grassley has sent a letter to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, asking the department's director to hold employers accountable for extensive fraud and abuse in the H-1B visa program. H-1B visas are issued to high-skilled workers and an internal assessment last year found the fraud and abuse.
The United States is in need of an immigration overhaul. Porous borders, shoddy workplace enforcement, and fraud-heavy guest worker programs all contribute to our illegal immigration problems. We don’t need a long, arduous legislative process to get at some of the problems. The agency can take immediate steps to eliminate fraud in the H-1B program, including cracking down on body shops that do not comply with the intent of the law. Employers need to be held accountable so that foreign workers are not flooding the market, depressing wages, and taking jobs from qualified Americans. ... Asking the right questions and requesting the necessary documents will go a long way in getting out the fraud in the H-1B program.
-- Sen. Grassley
Grassley also asked for an update on the steps being taken U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to alleviate other problems found in the 2008 benefits fraud and compliance assessment. The internal report found that more than 20 percent of petitions reviewed were based on fraud. Grassley has proposed several legislative changes to the program, but says this is something that can be done administratively to get at the fraud perpetrated by employers.