Protecting America’s Highly Skilled Workforce with Project Firewall

What is Project Firewall?

Project Firewall is the Wage and Hour Division’s (WHD) enforcement initiative focused on safeguarding the rights, wages, and job opportunities of highly skilled U.S. workers and maximizing compliance with the H-1B visa program. Launched on September 19, 2025, it strengthens our efforts to hold employers accountable when they misuse the H-1B visa program and ensures qualified American workers are not unfairly displaced.

Through Project Firewall, WHD enforces H-1B visa program requirements, prioritizing investigations where there are signs of displacements, inadequate recruitment of U.S. workers, or other abuses. This initiative helps ensure employers consider qualified U.S. workers first and follow the law when seeking to hire highly skilled foreign workers.

"By rooting out fraud and abuse, the Departmanet of Labor and our federal partners will ensure that highly skilled jobs go to Americans first." - U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer

How Does Project Firewall Work?

• Strengthened Enforcement: WHD prioritizes investigations where employers may be:
  • Displacing U.S. workers.
  • Failing to recruit U.S. workers in good faith.
  • Giving preference to H-1B workers when qualified U.S. workers are available.
  • Retaliating against workers who raise concerns about employers’ noncompliance.
  • Misrepresenting job duties, requirements, or working conditions.
• Protecting U.S. Workers: WHD enforces legal protections designed to ensure U.S. workers are not adversely affected by H-1B program misuse. When violations are found, WHD may recover back wages, assess civil money penalties, and/or impose debarment from the H-1B program and other visa programs.
• Holding Employers Accountable: Project Firewall supports targeted, data-driven enforcement efforts and increases employer compliance through outreach, education and collaboration with other federal agencies.

Resources for U.S. Workers

• H-1B Violations that Can Harm U.S. workers – small card (PDF)
• H-1B Fact Sheet Numerical Index

Resources for Employers

• Protecting America’s Highly Skilled Workforce with Project Firewall – flyer (PDF)
• Field Assistance Bulletin 2019-3: Compliance with the H-1B Notice Requirement by Electronic Posting (PDF)
• H-1B Fact Sheet Numerical Index 

Federal Partners in H-1B Enforcement

Project Firewall strengthens coordination with other federal agencies involved in employment-based visa programs, including:

• Employment and Training Administration (ETA)
  • H-1B, H-1B1 and E-3 Specialty (Professional) Workers
• Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division
  • Contact the Civil Rights Division
• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
  • Discrimination Against American Workers is Against the Law (PDF)
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
  • H-1B Specialty Occupations (PDF)

Violations and Getting Help

What Happens When Violations Are Found?

When employers violate H-1B visa program requirements, WHD may:

• Recover back wages owed to workers.
• Seek reimbursement of required fringe benefits.
• Assess civil money penalties, depending on the type or severity of the violation.
• Impose debarment, limiting an employer’s access to the H-1B visa program and certain other visa programs for at least one year.

How to Report a Violation

• Report H-1B violations by submitting Form WH-4 to your nearest WHD office.
• Report civil rights violations as a U.S. worker to the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.
• Report discrimination against American workers to the EEOC.