The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) is conducting a nationwide initiative to strengthen compliance with the labor provisions of the H-2B temporary visa program in the landscaping industry, in order to ensure compliance with federal wage laws.

The initiative will provide compliance assistance tools and information to employers and stakeholders and include conducting investigations of employers using this program, according to the U.S. DOL.

Last year, WHD investigations found more than $105 million in back wages for more than 97,000 workers in industries with a high prevalence of H-2B workers, including the landscaping industry. A key component of the investigations is ensuring that employers recruit U.S. workers before applying for permission to employ temporary nonimmigrant workers.

“The H-2B visa program includes specific requirements employers must follow to participate,” said Bryan Jarrett, Wage and Hour Division acting administrator. “This initiative demonstrates our commitment to educate employers about those rules and enforce them to safeguard American jobs, protect guest workers and level the playing field for law-abiding employers.”

The landscaping industry employs more H-2B workers than any other industry, according to the U.S. DOL.