Acting Chief, Business and Foreign Workers Division, Office of Policy and Strategy

1615-AC13 201710 The Regulatory Plan and the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions 1615 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services USCIS 1600 Department of Homeland Security DHS Strengthening the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Classification Program

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will propose to revise the definition of specialty occupation to increase focus on obtaining the best and the brightest foreign nationals via the H-1B program, and revise the definition of employment and employer-employee relationship to better protect U.S. workers and wages. In addition, DHS will propose additional requirements designed to ensure employers pay appropriate wages to H-1B visa holders.

]]> Other Significant First Time Published in The Unified Agenda Proposed Rule Stage Undetermined Undetermined Other 8 CFR 214.2(h)(4) 8 U.S.C. 1184 Yes

The purpose of these changes is to ensure that H-1B visas are awarded only to individuals who will be working in a job which meets the statutory definition of specialty occupation. In addition, these changes are intended to ensure that the H-1B program supplements the U.S. workforce and strengthens U.S. worker protections.

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DHS is still considering the cost and benefit impacts of the proposed provisions. In general, DHS anticipates that there may be some filing fees and opportunity costs of time in preparing and filing forms for the eligible population. DHS also anticipates benefits in the form of reduced fraud and abuses of the current H-1B program.

]]> ]]> NPRM 10/00/2018 Undetermined Undetermined Undetermined Undetermined www.regulations.gov www.regulations.gov No No Brian Hunt Acting Chief, Business and Foreign Workers Division, Office of Policy and Strategy 1615 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services USCIS 202 272-8377 202 272-1480 brian.j.hunt@uscis.dhs.gov 20 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 1200, Washington DC 20529-2200