Learning Portal

How the H-1B program works, and how its rules are broken.

22 lessons · Free · No account. Read the cited rules and source limits.

Plain-English lessons on how the H-1B program is meant to work, where its rules break, and how to read the patterns those breaks leave in public records.

The lessons cite program law, agency guidance, and disclosure records. Model outputs link to the site’s stated methods. A citation supports the claim beside it; a document hash does not establish that its contents are true.

H-1B workers can be victims, too

H-1B workers can be victims of employer fraud and forced labor. Learn the warning signs, your rights, and ways to report employer abuse.[1]

Worker exploitation, trafficking, and help

The course

Start at Lesson 1 and read in order. Keep the live data open in another tab and check each claim as you read.

1

The Program

How the H-1B visa is meant to work, and the weaknesses in its rules.

2

Types of Fraud

Five patterns to examine, with their evidence limits.

3

What It Looks Like

The patterns you can see in the records.

4

Industries & Evidence

Explore filing and wage records by review group.

5

Willful Violators

Employers the government labeled as willful violators.

6

Shell Companies & Ghost Offices

Stacks of visas at one empty address.

7

Legal Tricks

The attorneys and recruiters who know how to misuse the rules.

For Kids (Detective Lesson)

Lesson 8 · Hands-on · For young readers

A real investigation a 10-year-old can run. Pick a company. Find the red flags in its public record. Write an investigator's report with citations. Use the rest of this portal as the research tool.

Start the lesson

Reference desk

Short answers about the program, cases, costs, job changes, worker rights, and policy.

How the program works

Cases, money, and clocks

Job changes and extensions

Permanent residence and policy

Worker rights and help

The numbers the lessons teach you to read

What the records contain / DOL disclosure files

8,429,818H-1B filingsSource records · one filing can request several workers371.2KEmployers on recordLinked employer records

What XH1B calculates / Modeled estimates

$144.3BCertified wage gap (est.)Certified wages below the BLS market median · modeled estimate
19.7MModeled worker exposureModel result with matched WARN layoffs · not an observed count
Where these numbers come from

Filing and employer totals come from stored disclosure records. The wage-gap estimate compares certified offered wages with stated BLS benchmarks under the site’s calculation method. Worker exposure sums qualifying requested positions weighted by the wage gap and matched WARN notice counts. The same person can appear in multiple filings. These estimates do not measure wages actually paid or verified worker replacement.

Definitions & methodology ↗

FAQ

Questions about the data & methods

Learning Portal FAQ

What is the H-1B Learning Portal?

This portal has 22 free lessons on H-1B rules, recorded employer filings, and ways to inspect possible violations. Rule statements cite law or agency guidance. Data claims cite disclosures or stated calculation methods.

In what order should I read the lessons?

Start with Lesson 1, The Program: it sets up the four legal promises every later lesson refers back to. The remaining lessons build the vocabulary, the visible flags, the industry map, and the legal mechanisms. The Detective Lesson is a hands-on investigation a 10-year-old can run, and works on its own.

Do I need an account to take the lessons?

No. The lessons are free and need no account. Each lesson links to the live data on this site so you can check every claim against the actual records.

Does the Learning Portal prove that specific companies committed fraud?

The lessons teach readers to inspect records. A named government decision can establish a past finding within its scope. A stored badge must be checked against its underlying source and dates. Address, wage, and layoff comparisons are leads; they do not themselves establish fraud or current wrongdoing.

Where does the data in the lessons come from?

Public government disclosures: DOL OFLC labor condition applications and prevailing wage determinations, BLS wage surveys, state WARN layoff notices, and enforcement records. Each lesson ends with links into the live data so you can verify what it teaches.

References

  1. [1] Primary record · U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Colorado. Kizzy Kalu sentencing for forced labor and trafficking. February 11, 2014; sentencing and trial-evidence accountA dated DOJ account of this case. It does not establish current wrongdoing by other employers or trafficking prevalence.Checked 2026-10-09.

Public source records and site analysis. We do not attest to accuracy. Read the full disclaimer.