Cognizant named by Labour official

Speaking to Fox Business on Wednesday, Labour Department Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito said investigators had already begun issuing subpoenas and were pursuing multiple leads.

“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… in the chatter of issues with PERM and H-1B visas,” D’Esposito said.

He did not accuse Cognizant of wrongdoing or provide details of any specific allegations. As of Wednesday, the company had not publicly responded to the remarks.

What the investigation is about

According to the Office of Inspector General, investigators are examining allegations that some employers and labour brokers:

• Submitted fraudulent H-1B and PERM visa applications.
• Exploited foreign workers through coercive wage kickback arrangements.
• Undercut American workers by hiring foreign labour at below-market wages.
• Used the visa system to profit rather than address genuine labour shortages.

The OIG said such practices undermine programmes designed to fill legitimate skill shortages in the US labour market.

“These abuses undermine the integrity of Department of Labour programmes designed to address genuine labour shortages—not to line the pockets of bad actors at the expense of American jobs,” the agency said in a statement.

Focus on worker exploitation

The watchdog said the investigation also targets suspected human trafficking and forced-labour networks linked to guest worker visa programmes.

“The OIG is determined to root out every scheme that preys on vulnerable workers and takes jobs from American workers,” the statement added.

Why it matters

The H-1B visa programme is widely used by US technology companies to hire highly skilled foreign professionals, with Indian nationals accounting for the overwhelming majority of H-1B approvals each year. PERM certification, meanwhile, is a key step for many employment-based green card applications.

Any expanded federal scrutiny of H-1B and PERM filings could have implications for major technology companies, outsourcing firms and thousands of foreign workers, particularly Indians employed in the US tech sector.

(With inputs from PTI)