From Fragomen.com, 05/14/2013
Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee will begin debate and mark-up of Title IV of S. 744, the employment-based nonimmigrant section of the comprehensive immigration reform bill. The Committee will consider an array of proposed amendments concerning the H-1B and L-1 programs and the optional practical training rules for F-1 students. Mark-up of the employment-based green card proposals is expected in the coming days, though no specific date has yet been set.
Among the key nonimmigrant amendments are proposals from Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) to further broaden the Department of Labor's authority to review and investigate employers’ compliance with the labor condition application (LCA) regulations and to limit post-graduate employment options for F-1 students. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) has proposed requiring H-1B employers to post offered positions on the websites of state workforce agencies.
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) is seeking to increase the H-1B cap baseline to 115,000, with a reformulated market escalator that would allow for just-in-time quota increases within a given fiscal year, based on immediate demand for H-1B numbers. He is also seeking more moderate restrictions on offsite placement of L-1B specialized knowledge workers, with a $500 L-1B outplacement fee.
