The Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigates fraud, waste, and abuse related to the department's programs, including the foreign labor certification programs (FLC). OIG's investigations in the FLC program area concentrate on fraud against the numerous work-based visa programs, including the various temporary "H visa" programs, including the H-1B, H-2A and H-2B programs, as well as the permanent labor certification program (";green card" track), and on employers, immigration attorneys, and/or labor brokers who prepare and submit fraudulent visa applications to the department under any of these programs.
In addition to its statutory authority to investigate programmatic fraud, OIG agents have additional authority pursuant to a special deputation agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to conduct labor trafficking investigations when they relate to the programs of the Department of Labor. This expanded authority ensures that the OIG is able to fully investigate potential labor trafficking offenses related to the department's programs.
The OIG partners with the DOJ and their federal law enforcement partners on the multi-agency Anti-Trafficking Coordination Team (ACTeam) program and with DOJ's Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit (HTPU) to investigate labor trafficking violations, and to assist with other crimes investigated through these initiatives.