# 119-s-2928: H–1B and L–1 Visa Reform Act of 2025 119-s-2928, H–1B and L–1 Visa Reform Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA] (R-IA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-07). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2928 - As of: 2026-10-07 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-s-2928 - Congress: 119 - Title: H–1B and L–1 Visa Reform Act of 2025 - Status: introduced - Introduced: 2025-09-29 - Sponsor: Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA] (R-IA) - Cosponsors: 4 - Policy area: Immigration - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-10-07 ## Summary **Reduce fraud and protect U.S. workers.** The H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act of 2025 would tighten employer duties, raise wage floors and working-condition rules, expand audits and penalties, and restructure H-1B allocations to prioritize U.S. STEM graduates and higher wages. - U.S. workers would get stronger displacement protections and higher wage floors for H-1B and L-1 jobs, plus limits on outplacement with a 180-day look-back and look-forward rule for L-1 placements. - H-1B and L-1 employees would gain transparency and safeguards: employers must provide petition copies on request within 21 business days, DHS and consulates must give beneficiaries a brochure, and terminated L-1 holders get a 90-day window without accruing unlawful presence to depart or seek new status. - Employers would face public job postings for at least 30 days, required W-2 reporting for visa employees, expanded audits and subpoena authority, and a new fee-funded account that could hire up to 200 Department of Labor enforcement staff. ## Cosponsors (4) - Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] (D-IL), 2025-09-29T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] (I-VT), 2025-09-29T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Tuberville, Tommy [R-AL] (R-AL), 2025-09-29T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT), 2025-09-29T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - Higher pay and protections for H-1B: benefit, high. If enacted, employers would have to pay H-1B workers at least the highest of three official wage measures. The bill would bar replacing U.S. workers during a 180-day window around an H-1B placement. Employers could not place H-1B workers with another employer unless they first get a statutory waive… - More notice and document rights for workers: benefit, medium. If enacted, employers would have to give named petition beneficiaries copies of petitions and agency communications within 21 business days. Consular offices and DHS would give applicants a brochure and a copy of the petition when visas or initial petitions are approved. The Department of Labor wou… - Bigger H-1B audits and fee-funded staff: cost, medium. If enacted, the bill would expand DOL and DHS enforcement powers and require more data sharing. It would set a fee for H-1B filings and deposit fees into a new account to pay for oversight. The fee-funded account could pay for up to 200 new DOL hires. The bill raises audit rates, uses a two-year lo… - Limit on firms with many visa workers: cost, medium. If enacted, employers with 50 or more U.S. employees would be limited so H-1B and L-1 workers make up no more than 50 percent of their U.S. workforce. The bill would bar reorganizations meant to evade that limit. This rule applies to petitions filed on or after enactment. - Tougher fines and remedies for employers: mixed, high. If enacted, the bill would raise civil fines for visa-related violations and let workers recover lost wages and benefits. Examples in the bill raise some fines to ranges like $5,000 up to $150,000 per violation. For L-1 violations, DHS could block new petitions for at least one year for non-willful… - H-1B eligibility, selection, and stays: mixed, high. If enacted, the H-1B selection order would favor U.S. STEM graduates, higher-wage petitions, and employers with strong compliance records. The bill would tighten specialty-occupation rules to require a related bachelor’s (or full State licensure). Most H-1B approvals would be for up to three years,… - New L-1 rules for transfers and stays: mixed, medium. If enacted, new-office L-1 approvals would generally be limited to 12 months and need a business plan, real premises, and proof of funds. The bill would narrow the test for 'specialized knowledge' and limit specialized-knowledge placements at third-party sites to one year unless waived. Employers c… ## Related bills - 119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former United States Senator for the State of Kansas. - 119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewellyn Kyl, former Senator for the State of Arizona. - 119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham, a Senator from the State of South Carolina. - 119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former Senator for the State of Michigan. - 119-sres-739: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of John Seymour, the late Senator for the State of California. - 119-sres-723: A resolution honoring the life of Dirk Arthur Kempthorne, former United States Senator for the State of Idaho. ## Sources - [119-s-2928 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2928) ## Related - [119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former Uni…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-913) - [119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewel…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-897) - [119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham,…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-801) - [119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former S…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-755) - [119-sres-739: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of John Seymour, the late Senator for…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-739) - [119-sres-723: A resolution honoring the life of Dirk Arthur Kempthorne, former United States…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-723) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2928 (as of 2026-10-07).