Discover how the US Department of Labour is investigating widespread H-1B and PERM visa fraud, with Indian IT giant Cognizant reportedly under scrutiny for alleged exploitation and fraudulent practices.
Key Points
- US Department of Labour's OIG has launched an investigation into H-1B and PERM visa fraud.
- Indian IT firm Cognizant is specifically named among companies under scrutiny.
- The probe targets widespread schemes involving fraudulent applications and worker exploitation.
- Abuses include coercive wage-kickback arrangements and undercutting American workers.
- The investigation aims to dismantle human trafficking and forced-labour networks in the visa system.
The United States on Wednesday launched an investigation into alleged fraud in the H-1B and PERM work visas by several companies, with a federal labour official saying that Indian IT firm Cognizant is among the companies under scrutiny.
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) under the Department of Labour has uncovered widespread schemes in which employers and labour brokers submitted fraudulent applications, exploited foreign workers through coercive wage-kickback arrangements, and undercut American workers by flooding the market with below-wage labour, an official statement said.
Cognizant Named In Visa Fraud Probe
"We've already started to issue dozens of subpoenas; we are going to make sure that we track down every lead. We have whistleblowers talking about some of the biggest companies like Cognizant, who have been sort of, you know, in the chatter of issues with PERM and H-1B visas," Labour Department Inspector General Anthony D'Esposito told Fox Business on Wednesday.
The action has been taken under the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud led by Vice President J D Vance.
"These abuses undermine the integrity of Department of Labour programs designed to address genuine labour shortages -- not to line the pockets of bad actors at the expense of American jobs," the statement said.
This investigation reflects the OIG's unwavering commitment to dismantling human trafficking and forced-labour networks that exploit the foreign guest worker visa system, the statement added.
The OIG is determined to root out every scheme that preys on vulnerable workers and takes jobs from American workers, it said.
