S 3720 United States Senate · 117th Congress

H–1B and L–1 Visa Reform Act of 2022

Summary
H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act of 2022 This bill modifies requirements related to H-1B (specialty occupation) and L-1 (intracompany transfers) nonimmigrant visas and contains related provisions. Provisions relating to H-1B visas include requiring the Department of Labor to review petitions for indicators of fraud or misrepresentation of material fact; requiring the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to prioritize certain petitions, with top priority for workers with advanced degrees in science, technology, or engineering; requiring an H-1B worker to possess at minimum a bachelor's degree to meet specialty occupation requirements (currently, relevant experience may be used instead); and prohibiting an alien classifiable in certain H-1B categories from obtaining a B-1 (temporary business visitor) visa. Provisions relating to L-1 visas include requiring a waiver from Labor for an L-1 worker to be primarily stationed with an employer other than the petitioning employer; prohibiting an alien from receiving an L-1 visa to open or be employed in a new office if the alien has received two or more such visas in the last two years; and increasing the L-1 worker minimum wage to the highest of certain amounts, such as the median wage for the worker's occupational classification in the area of employment (currently, an L-1 worker must be paid at least the higher of the federal or state minimum wage). In regards to both visas, the bill (1) expands the authority of DHS and Labor to take various enforcement actions, and (2) directs DHS to conduct annual audits of a certain percentage of employers.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2022
Committee Review
Floor Vote
President
Introduced Mar 1, 2022 Last action Mar 1, 2022
Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
2
Key actions
0
Committee
1
Mar 1, 2022
Committee
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text: CR S877-883)
upper
Mar 1, 2022
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
1 primary · 6 co-sponsors

Sponsors