House bill would hike H-1B penalties to $250,000 and impose 10-year bans

The H-1B Visa Fraud Crackdown Act, filed in the U.S. House on October 1, seeks to dramatically increase penalties for employers that breach H-1B rules. Sponsored by Rep. Beth Van Duyne and five fellow Republicans, the measure now sits before the House Judiciary Committee. It would raise the ceiling for serious violations from $35,000 to $250,000 and lengthen the mandatory debarment from three to ten years; for less severe breaches, fines would climb to $100,000 with a five-year ban.

Document-related fraud penalties would also be amplified. While the proposal does not alter visa caps, eligibility or filing fees, it targets staffing and consulting firms that rely heavily on H-1B sponsorship. Experts note that the bill could intensify disputes over “willfulness” without adding new enforcement resources. The initiative arrives amid heightened scrutiny of the program, including a recent executive order on layoffs, an EEOC lawsuit against a Texas staffing firm, and Vice President JD Vance’s call to end the visa stream.