US: Infosys Pays ₹283 Crore In Settlement for H-1B Visa Fraud

Indian company Infosys Limited which is involved in consulting, technology, and outsourcing, has agreed to a record $34 million civil settlement based on allegations of systemic visa fraud and abuse of immigration processes and also agreed to enhanced corporate compliance measures.

The $34 million (approx 283 crore rupees) payment made by Infosys due to these allegations represents the largest payment ever levied in an immigration case.

The allegations include Infosys’ practice of bringing foreign nationals into the United States to perform work and fulfill contracts with its customers under two visa classification programs relevant to this matter, H-1B and B-1. Infosys fraudulently used B-1 visa holders to perform jobs that involved skilled labor that were instead required to be performed by U.S. citizens or legitimate H-1B visa holders.

The H-1B visa is a strictly regulated visa program that protects American workers from unfair competition from overseas countries with drastically lower labor wages. However, there is no limit to B-1 visitors. And the B-1 visa program only allows foreign nationals to temporarily enter the United States, for conferences, seminars, and the like. B-1 visa holders are not allowed to work in the United States. Infosys unlawfully and fraudulently used B-1 visa visitors as though they were H-1B workers in violation of U.S. immigration law.

The government also alleges that Infosys violated US immigration laws to increase its profits, minimize costs of securing visas, increase flexibility of employee movement, obtain an unfair advantage over competitors, and avoid tax liabilities.