Lawmakers Press DOL Chief on Delayed Visas for Foreign Workers

US businesses face potentially devastating effects from delays securing US Labor Department approval for work visas, Senate lawmakers told Labor Secretary Marty Walsh in a letter released Tuesday.

Employers are required to get a determination from DOL that hiring a foreign worker won’t depress wages of US workers in similar positions before they can petition US Citizenship and Immigration Services for immigrant and non-immigrant work visas.

But companies have seen recent wait times for Department of Labor review exceed six months, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) wrote in their letter dated July 7.

“These delays make ...