Yes, the United States launched 175 investigations into possible abuses of the H-1B visa program, according to reports from several reputable news outlets and statements from the US Department of Labor. The broader federal initiative, called “Project Firewall,” which started in September 2025, makes sure that opportunities for jobs go to American workers first and solves some long-standing problems connected with the H-1B visa process.

Details of the Investigations

The effort comes after an aggressive drive by the Trump administration to address what it calls systemic abuses of the H-1B visa system a program for allowing US companies to hire highly skilled foreign workers in specialty occupations, such as technology, engineering, and healthcare. The Department of Labor explained that the investigations are targeting employers suspected of violating rules that are intended to protect both American and foreign workers. The initiative is not routine oversight but also includes new mechanisms: a one-time $100,000 fee for certain H-1B petitions and direct, personal certification of investigations by Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.​

What Prompted the Crackdown

Project Firewall was conceived amidst growing concern that some employers were using the H-1B system to undercut wages, drive down working conditions, and replace, in some cases, equally or more qualified American employees with lower-paid foreign workers. A series of statements from the White House and DOL emphasize a commitment to make sure companies cannot “spam” the system by flooding it with petitions—and to close loopholes that had been exploited for years.​

Findings and Red Flags

What have the probes found so far? In broad terms, the inquiries have uncovered a “bounty of concerns”:​

Cases of foreign workers, even those with advanced degrees, being paid far less than what the job descriptions had promised, thereby depressing the overall wage standards not only for visa holders but also for American employees in similar positions.

Employers that laid off H-1B workers failed to timely notify US Citizenship and Immigration Services of such events and sometimes did not report them at all—a violation that can have serious consequences both for workers and for system integrity.​

Investigators found discrepancies in Labor Condition Applications, which employers file with the DOL: job locations provided that did not exist, and job descriptions that were later found to have been outdated or just copied and pasted, not relevant to

Another major issue that showed the vulnerability of certain foreign employees to exploitation was the existence of “benching,” whereby H-1B visa holders were not paid in periods when they did not have active assignments.

Broader Impact and Government Response

The DOL stated that these ongoing investigations have already identified more than 15 million in unpaid wages. If the violations are confirmed, the penalties for the employers can include significant monetary fines, payment of back wages, and even bans from participating in the H-1B program for a certain period of time.​

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer has signed the certifications herself highly unusual step that indicates a far more hands-on approach by the administration and reflects how seriously these cases are being treated.

Why This Matters

This crackdown represents a significant shift in US immigration and labor policy. The H-1B visa program has been highly contentious for a long period, lauded by some as integral to US competitiveness and criticized by others as a vehicle for wage suppression and displacement of domestic workers. For many job-seekers, both American and foreign, the outcome of these investigations may help set precedents about how strictly existing laws are enforced and whether future reforms will further tighten the rules or possibly expand the pool of available visas, depending on the findings.​

In summary

The United States has indeed initiated 175 investigations into suspected abuses of the H-1B visa program. Spurred by evidence and complaints years in the making, the inquiries zero in on rooting out employer impropriety, treating workers fairly, and protecting the interests of American and foreign employees alike in a program at the very heart of US immigration policy.​