Department of Labor (DOL) Will Investigate Labor Violations Aggressively and Can Provide Immigration
The Department of Labor (DOL) announced last week that they will begin more aggressively confronting visa program fraud and abuse. This change involves three parts:
More aggressive enforcement of the non-immigrant visa program
Prioritizing and publicizing investigations
Prosecuting violators of the visa programs
To detect, investigate, and eliminate fraud and abuse, the DOL has directed over 200 Wage and Hour Divisions across the United States to use all their tools to conduct civil investigations and to enforce labor protections provided by the visa programs.
You can read more about the Department of Labor’s announcement on their website.
The DOL may provide immigration protection if your employer or former employer has violated visa program rules or has abused or mistreated you.
The DOL relies on information from employees or former employees so that they can investigate or prosecute abuse and fraud. U visas may be available for employees who have suffered physical or emotional injury because of such abuse or mistreatment. If your employer has mistreated or abused you, your assistance is critical to the DOL’s mission, and they may support your request for a U visa. You must report what happened, even if you currently are out of status.
The first step is reporting the abuse. You can contact the Wage and Hour Division toll-free at 1-866-487-9243. This process is confidential and easy to do over the phone in your language. If you do not have valid immigration status, first consult with a qualified immigration attorney to discuss your immigration options.
Abuses that should be reported to the DOL include:
Under-reporting of hours you are forced to work
Demands for repayment of visa costs after entry into the United States
Withholding payment or payment below the wage stipulated in your contract
Inadequate, illegal, or life-threatening living conditi