The Trump administration has launched a sweeping crackdown to crack down on abuses in the H-1B visa program, which is used by companies, especially tech companies, to hire foreign workers in the US.
The U.S. Department of Labor said the investigations were part of a broader effort to protect American jobs.
“As part of our mission to protect American jobs, we have initiated 175 investigations into H-1B abuses,” the Department of Labor said in a post on X Friday.
It added that under the leadership of President Donald Trump and Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the agency will continue to take action to put American workers first.
Chavez-DeRemer said in a post on
The Trump administration has launched a sweeping crackdown to crack down on abuses in the H-1B visa program, which is used by companies, especially tech companies, to hire foreign workers in the US.
Indian professionals, including technology workers and doctors, are among the largest group of H1B visa holders.
A report in Fox News said the Department of Labor could not provide details of the 175 ongoing investigations, “which account for more than $15 million in calculated back wages for workers.”
However, the federal ministry said it has “uncovered a plethora of concerns”, with research showing that some foreign workers with higher education are paid far less than what is promoted in a job description.
The Department of Labor said this practice lowers wages for both visa holders and U.S. workers, while also forcing U.S. workers with the same qualifications to accept lower wages to remain competitive, the Fox News report said.
It added that investigations have also found cases in which employers failed to notify U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services when an H-1B visa holder was terminated.
It also found significant delays between a termination and an employer notifying the agency, the news report added.
In some cases, investigators found that the workplaces listed in documents did not exist, or that employees were not aware of the tasks they were supposedly required to perform as outlined in their permits and applications.
“Other research found that some workers participated in ‘benching,’ in which H-1B visa holders are paid nothing if they are between active work projects,” the Fox News report said.
In September of this year, Trump issued a proclamation titled “Restricting Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers” as an important first step to reform the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program.
Under the proclamation, certain H-1B petitions filed after September 21, 2025 must be accompanied by an additional payment of $100,000 as a condition of eligibility.
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Published on November 8, 2025
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