The law also puts an end to the visa lottery which distributes 50,000 green cards.
Washington:
An influential US lawmaker introduced legislation in the House of Representatives to overhaul the H-1B visa system to prevent the dismissal of domestic workers.
Introduced Thursday by congressman Mo Brooks of Alabama, the American Jobs First Act aims to deter employers from hiring foreign H-1B workers if they have recently, or are planning to, fire their American workers.
It also requires employers to pay their H-1B workers more than American workers to ensure that foreign labor is only used when absolutely necessary.
The American Jobs First Act suspends the F-1 OPT program, which grants all international students extensible work permits and intensifies competition in the job market among American graduates.
In addition, it is ending the Diversity Visa Lottery Program, which does not serve American interests by issuing 50,000 green cards to foreigners around the world, regardless of their qualifications.
The American Jobs First Act will bring much-needed reform and oversight to the H-1B visa program to ensure that American workers are no longer disadvantaged in their own country, Congressman Brooks said.
To end the attractiveness of cheap foreign labor, the bill will require employers to pay all H-1B workers a minimum amount of $ 110,000, he said.
“And to stop the replacement of American workers, my bill will oblige companies looking for H-1B workers not to lay off American workers for at least two years without just cause and to commit to do not fire any worker without just cause for two years afterwards, ”Mr Brooks said.
Commonsense H-1B reform measures like these, in addition to ending unfair voluntary practical training (OPT) and diversity visa lottery programs, all serve to advance U.S. immigration interests. , did he declare.
Earlier this year, the Tennessee Valley Authority hit tech workers hard when they tried to replace Americans with cheap foreign H-1B workers, Brooks said.
Thanks to President Trump, the members of the board of directors of TVA have rolled and TVA reversed course, he added.
But changes in the law are needed to ensure that American workers are not replaced by cheap foreign labor in the future, Brooks said.
“Due to intense pressure from big business, the H-1B reform has been stuck for years, but Americans are suffering and they can’t wait any longer for relief. Lay off American workers just to hire good foreign workers market to replace them is not only unpatriotic, it is downright repugnant! ”says the legislator.
Chris Chmielenski, deputy director of NumbersUSA, said the American Jobs First Act brought a number of much-needed reforms to the H-1B program, including setting a salary floor of $ 110,000 for all H-1B workers so that employers who say they can’t find an American to take a job should put their money where they are.
“This ends the outrageous voluntary practical training program which in effect gives employers tax relief for hiring foreign workers rather than Americans,” he said.
The legislation also ends the visa lottery which distributes 50,000 green cards, along with work permits, on the basis of a computer draw, Chmielenski added.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a press release)
