H–1B and L–1 Visa Reform Act of 2025
Summary
What This Bill Does
The bill requires raises minimum wages for H-1B workers to the highest of: prevailing local wage, median area wage, or median skill-level-2 wage, prohibits employers from advertising positions exclusively for H-1B workers or giving H-1B candidates hiring preference, and requires Department of Labor to publish H-1B applications on its website. It relies on compliance mandates, reporting requirements, product standards, and definition changes. The main policy areas are Finance, Technology, Immigration, and Education.
Who Benefits and How
H-1B visa holders could gain revenue opportunities, Department of Labor could gain revenue opportunities, and L-1 visa holders reporting violations could face reduced risk.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Employers filing H-1B applications could face higher costs, Employers of H-1B workers could face increased risk, and Large employers with high H-1B worker percentages would take on compliance duties.
Key Provisions
- Requires raises minimum wages for H-1B workers to the highest of: prevailing local wage, median area wage, or median skill-level-2 wage.
- Prohibits employers from advertising positions exclusively for H-1B workers or giving H-1B candidates hiring preference.
- Requires Department of Labor to publish H-1B applications on its website.
- Establishes a priority system for H-1B visa allocation: highest priority for US-educated STEM advanced degree holders, followed by employers paying skill-level-4 wages, then other US degree holders, then skill-level-3...
- Defines tightens the definition of specialty occupation to require an actual bachelor's or higher degree in the specific specialty directly related to the occupation.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
The bill requires raises minimum wages for H-1B workers to the highest of: prevailing local wage, median area wage, or median skill-level-2 wage, prohibits employers from advertising positions exclusively for H-1B workers or giving H-1B candidates hiring preference, and requires Department of Labor to publish H-1B applications on its website.
Key Policy Areas
Finance, Technology, Immigration, Education
Primary Purpose
The bill requires raises minimum wages for H-1B workers to the highest of: prevailing local wage, median area wage, or median skill-level-2 wage, prohibits employers from advertising positions exclusively for H-1B workers or giving H-1B candidates hiring preference, and requires Department of Labor to publish H-1B applications on its website.
Policy Domains
Title I - H-1B Visa Reform
Identified Gains
- H-1B visa holders
- Department of Labor
- L-1 visa holders reporting violations
- International students graduating from US universities with STEM degrees
- L-1 visa holders
Identified Costs
- Employers filing H-1B applications
- Employers of H-1B workers
- Large employers with high H-1B worker percentages
- IT outsourcing companies using L-1 intracompany transfers
- IT outsourcing companies using L-1 for general IT staff
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Grassley (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Tuberville, …
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in Senate
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
All employers of L-1 workers, American job seekers, Employers engaging in H-1B fraud
Positive-direction: American job seekers, H-1B and L-1 visa holders, H-1B visa holders, H-1B workers reporting violations, L-1 visa holders, L-1 visa holders reporting violations, L-1 workers harmed by violations, Large multinational companies with established L-1 programs, Workers filing complaints against employers
Negative-direction: All employers of L-1 workers, Employers engaging in H-1B fraud, Employers filing H-1B applications, Employers of H-1B workers, Employers of H-1B workers (via fees), Employers retaliating against L-1 whistleblowers, Employers using B-1 visas to bring in specialty workers, Employers using work experience equivalencies for H-1B hires, Employers who do not sponsor green cards, Employers with compliance issues in H-1B petitions, Employers with high H-1B/L-1 usage, Employers with more than 50% foreign worker workforce, Foreign companies opening US offices with L-1 transfers, Foreign workers entering on B-1 for skilled work, H-1B workers without formal degrees in their specialty, H-1B workers without pending green card petitions, IT outsourcing and staffing companies with high H-1B usage, IT outsourcing companies using L-1 for general IT staff, IT outsourcing companies using L-1 intracompany transfers, L-1 workers transferred to new US offices, L-1 workers with general rather than specialized knowledge, Multinational companies placing L-1 workers at client sites
All employers of H-1B workers, American workers at companies using L-1 labor, American workers at companies using contract H-1B labor
Positive-direction: American workers at companies using L-1 labor, American workers at companies using contract H-1B labor, American workers competing with L-1 workers, American workers in IT and professional services, American workers in technology and specialty occupations, American workers seeking tech jobs, Employers paying top-tier wages (skill level 3-4), Employers who sponsor green cards for H-1B workers, Workers with accredited degrees in specialty fields
Negative-direction: All employers of H-1B workers, Client companies receiving contracted H-1B workers, Employers filing H-1B applications, Employers of H-1B workers, Employers paying H-1B workers less than US workers, Technology companies employing H-1B workers
DHS, DHS and State Department, DHS enforcement division
International students graduating from US universities with STEM degrees, US colleges and universities
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Labor (for application and enforcement provisions)
- "secretary_of_state"
- → Secretary of State (for visa issuance abroad)
- "secretary_of_treasury"
- → Secretary of Treasury (for fee account management)
- "secretary_of_homeland_security"
- → Secretary of Homeland Security (for visa allocation and petition approval)
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Homeland Security (for L-1 petition requirements and enforcement)
- "secretary_of_labor"
- → Secretary of Labor (for waiver decisions on worker placement)
- "secretary_of_state"
- → Secretary of State (for international coordination)
Note: "The Secretary" refers to Secretary of Labor in Title I (H-1B application requirements) but Secretary of Homeland Security in Title II (L-1 petition requirements and enforcement).
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
An occupation that requires attainment of a bachelor's or higher degree in the specific specialty directly related to the occupation as a minimum for entry into the occupation in the United States, and full state licensure if required, or completion of an equivalent US or foreign degree.
Knowledge possessed by an individual whose advanced level of expertise and proprietary knowledge of the employer's product, service, research, equipment, techniques, management, or other interests are not readily available in the US labor market, is clearly unique from those held by others in similar occupations, and is protected from disclosure through patent, copyright, or company policy.
A field included in the Department of Education's Classification of Instructional Programs taxonomy within the summary groups of computer and information sciences and support services, engineering, biological and biomedical sciences, mathematics and statistics, and physical sciences.
Laying off a United States worker from a job that is essentially the equivalent of the job for which the nonimmigrant is sought.
A worker who is a citizen or national of the United States, or an alien who is lawfully admitted for permanent residence.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology