Free Republic

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce sued the Trump administration Thursday over hefty new fees in the H-1B visa program, joining the legal campaign against the administration’s changes to a program used by some of the biggest tech companies in the U.S. -snip- The chamber’s lawsuit is seeking to block the new H-1B program restrictions, which were rolled out in a presidential proclamation that the chamber says “is not only misguided policy; it is plainly unlawful.” “The President has significant authority over the entry of noncitizens into the United States, but that authority is bounded by statute and cannot directly contradict...

e U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Thursday filed a lawsuit over the Trump administration imposing a $100,000 fee to the H-1B worker visas. -snip- In a release regarding the lawsuit on Thursday, the Chamber called the new fee unlawful since it "overrides provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act that govern the H-1B program, including the requirement that fees be based on the costs incurred by the government in processing visas." "The new $100,000 visa fee will make it cost-prohibitive for U.S. employers, especially start-ups and small and midsize businesses, to utilize the H-1B program, which was created by Congress...

Companies could face probes into their compliance with the H-1B visa program as part of the Trump Administration’s effort to clamp down on the program and force companies to hire more Americans. The Department of Labor announced on Friday that it was launching Project Firewall, an “enforcement initiative” that will investigate employers for potential abuse of the H-1B visa process. The initiative may be the first time the federal government has sought to broadly enforce H-1B legal standards intended to protect both the H-1B employee and American workers, such as paying wages on par with other workers of similar qualifications...

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American colleague Donald Trump discussed in a telephone conversation on Thursday the possible supply of US Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said. During the call, Putin told Trump that Tomahawk missiles would not change the situation on the battlefield, but would harm relations between Moscow and Washington and minimize the chances of a positive settlement of the Ukrainian conflict, according to Ushakov. Furthermore, the official revealed that Trump pledged to take into consideration all of Putin's concerns during his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday at the White...

A growing push in the US to curtail OPT and tax or restrict foreign student work is rattling Indian students. Policy shifts, surprise site visits and H-1B fee changes are shrinking the post-study path in the US. When students finish degrees in the US, they often rely on Optional Practical Training (OPT) to transition from F1 student visas to H1-B work visas and build a career in the US. That safety net is now increasingly under threat. Senator Tom Cotton’s OPT Fair Tax Act was already spelling trouble. Now, Senator Chuck Grassley and others are urging DHS (Department of Homeland...

A Gwalior government hospital is under scrutiny after worms were allegedly found in an antibiotic bottle, days after a toxic cough syrup tragedy in Madhya Pradesh killed 24 children. Amid the ongoing probe into child deaths linked to a toxic cough syrup in Madhya Pradesh, a government hospital in Gwalior's Morar town is now under scrutiny after a woman complained of finding worms in a bottle of antibiotic medicine given to her child, officials said on Thursday. Following the complaint, authorities sealed the entire stock of Azithromycin antibiotic oral suspension at the Morar government hospital and sent samples for laboratory...

India's goods exports to the US, its largest foreign market, dropped sharply by 20% in September and nearly 40% in the last four months, as Trump's steep tariffs took effect, data shows. September was the first full month of Washington's 50% tariffs on Indian goods, which kicked in on 27 August. This includes a 25% penalty for Delhi's refusal to stop buying oil from Russia. "US has become India's most severely affected market since the tariff escalation began," said Ajay Srivastava of Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), a Delhi-based think tank. -snip- According to GTRI, the most significant impact of...

Project Firewall targets H-1B visa abuse, increasing enforcement and compliance checks for employers and immigrants. -snip- Project Firewall impact on immigrants For H-1B workers already in the US, Project Firewall may come with a whole package of uncertainty. Past practices suggest authorities will conduct unannounced site visits to check job duties, wages, and work locations. Even remote work or role changes could trigger compliance checks. Investigators are expected to focus on: Whether H-1B workers are paid at least the higher of prevailing or actual wages Misclassification of jobs into lower-paid categories Worksite accuracy, including remote work compliance Proper posting of...

The US Department of Labor (DOL) has launched ‘Project Firewall’, a sweeping enforcement initiative aimed at curbing misuse of the H-1B visa program and protecting American jobs, particularly in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. The objective is to ensure employers prioritize qualified Americans when hiring workers and to hold violators accountable. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said the measure would ensure “highly skilled jobs go to Americans first.” For the first time in history, the Secretary of Labor will personally certify investigations into suspected H-1B violations, which officials described as a “historic action.” Employers found guilty could face...

The blanket $100,000 fee and Project Firewall are nothing but various elements being employed by the Trump government to turn the existing H-1B visa program upside-down. The focus has now shifted to hiring American workers. -snip- US Labor Department issues reminder to ‘hire American’ Merely hours ago, the US government department reiterated the sentiment in yet another official social media warning addressed to companies relying on the H-1B visa. “Under our Project Firewall plan, we’re eliminating fraud and abuse in the H-1B program and ensuring AMERICANS are prioritised in the hiring process,” the new tweet stated. The post also highlighted...

The number of new FHA mortgages granted to non-permanent residents has dropped to near-zero following the Trump administration’s recent executive orders targeting immigrants, according to new data. In a March 26 letter, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that non-permanent residents in the United States, including H-1B visa holders, would no longer be eligible for mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), effective May 25. The move, the letter said, was in line with President Donald Trump’s “commitment to safeguarding economic opportunities for U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents,” while also ensuring that “federal benefits, including access...

Many Indian-Americans have chosen to remain silent on H-1B changes and immigration struggles. This piece tries to decipher the reason, the pressures facing diaspora communities, and why success should come with responsibility. -snip- Created in 1990 under President George H. W. Bush, the H-1B program was designed to allow U.S. employers to hire foreign professionals to fill critical skill gaps. What is, in reality, a randomized lottery where every applicant has an equal chance of selection, regardless of nationality, is often mischaracterized as a program favouring Indians, simply because they make up the largest share of participants. Counting visa renewals...

The U.S. is awash with scam text messages. Officials say it has become a billion-dollar, highly sophisticated business benefiting criminals in China. Your highway toll payment is now past due, one text warns. You have U.S. Postal Service fees to pay, another threatens. You owe the New York City Department of Finance for unpaid traffic violations. The texts are ploys to get unsuspecting victims to fork over their credit-card details. The gangs behind the scams take advantage of this information to buy iPhones, gift cards, clothing and cosmetics. Criminal organizations operating out of China, which investigators blame for the toll...