Secretary of Labor Directs Agencies to Vigorously Combat Visa Fraud

The Secretary of Labor recently directed agencies to aggressively confront and combat visa fraud and abuse. The Secretary of Labor, Alexander Acosta, stated that it is now the policy of the Department of Labor to enforce vigorously all laws governing administration and enforcement of all nonimmigrant visa programs. Further, Secretary Acosta released a notice that outlines the steps the DOL will take toward this effort.

What is included in the notice to combat fraud?

The actions taken by the DOL are meant to increase protection of American workers and more aggressively confront those committing visa fraud and abuse. He stated that the Department of Labor will:

• Direct the Wage and Hour division to use its tools to conduct civil investigations to enforce labor protections.
• Mandate the Employment and Training Administration to develop changes to the Labor Condition Application and review their forms. Also, better identify violations and potential fraud, and provide more transparency for agency personnel.
• Direct the division and the Office of the Solicitor to coordinate administration and enforcement activities. Also, make referrals of fraud to the Office of the Inspector General.
• Lastly, establish a group made of senior leadership from ETA, the division, and Solicitor's office to supervise the effort and maximize efficiency.

Additionally, the DOL will work with the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security to investigate and detect visa fraud and abuse.

This information comes from a news release from the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA Doc. No. 17060732).