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The Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, H.R. 3012
M E M O R A N D U M
TO: Reporters and Editors
RE: the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, H.R. 3012
DA: Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Senator Chuck Grassley today put the following statement in The
Congressional Record regarding lifting his hold on H.R. 3012, the Fairness
for High-Skilled Immigrants Act.
Mr. President,
Today, I lift my hold on H.R. 3012, the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants
Act. This bill would eliminate the per-country numerical limitations for
employment–based immigrants and change the per-country numerical
limitations for family-based immigrants. When I placed a hold on the bill,
I was concerned that the bill did nothing to better protect Americans at
home who seek high-skilled jobs during this time of record unemployment.
Today, I lift my hold because I have reached an agreement with the senior
Senator from New York, the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on
Immigration, Refugees and Border Security.
I’ve spent a lot of time and effort into rooting out fraud and abuse in our
visa programs, specifically the H-1B visa program. I have always said this
program can and should serve as a benefit to our country, our economy and
our U.S. employers. However, it is clear that it’s not working as
intended, and the program is having a detrimental effect on American workers
.
For many years, Senator Durbin and I have worked on legislation to close the
loopholes in the H-1B visa program. Our legislation would ensure that
American workers are afforded the first chance to obtain the available high
paying and high skilled jobs in the United States. It would make sure visa
holders know their rights. It would strengthen the wage requirements,
ridding the incentives for companies to hire cheap, foreign labor.
While I couldn’t get everything that was included in the Durbin-Grassley
visa reform bill, there is agreement to include in H.R. 3012 provisions that
give greater authority to program overseers to investigate visa fraud and
abuse. Specifically, there will be language authorizing the Department of
Labor to better review labor condition applications and investigate fraud
and misrepresentation by employers. There’s also agreement to include a
provision allowing the federal government to do annual compliance audits of
employers who bring in foreign workers through the H-1B visa program.
I appreciate the willingness of other members to work with me to include
measures that will help us combat visa fraud, and ultimately protect more
American workers. I look forward to working with others as H.R. 3012
progresses in the Senate.
I yield the floor.