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The H-1B and permanent residency programs are, as reported by Computerworld, under “assault” by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services and other agencies, which have “dramatically increased” the documentation requested of employers seeking to hire workers under the programs. In recent months, requests for evidence are becoming significantly more frequent and expansive, seeking information such as corporate payroll records, zoning maps and building fire-safety plans. 
Among the possible explanations for the stepped-up enforcement are the increased scrutiny required as part of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (which set new H-1B restrictions on firms that received bailout funds) and findings of various problems, including fraud, in nearly one in five H-1B applications (according to a USCIS study (PDF) released in fall 2008).
Crystal Williams, co-director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), commented that the document requests are "on the border of harassment," and that the agency is "attempting to build a barrier, to make it as difficult as it possibly can be to get a visa." AILA is gathering evidence to demonstrate that the government is overstepping its authority in this area.