Cognizant hit by US visa crackdown
The US has suspended Cognizant’s permanent labour certification filings, considered as the first step for acquiring a green card, amid the Trump administration’s campaign against alleged visa fraud.
The US Department of Labour Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito announced on Tuesday that he has suspended the permanent labour certification filings by Cognizant, founded in Chennai, and Cloudera.
“Threats to American workers will NOT be tolerated,” D’Esposito said.
D’Esposito added that the investigation into the two companies was conducted in coordination with the White House Fraud Task Force and other officials.
“Fighting fraud is a TEAM SPORT. @Sonderling47 and I are for real. @Cognizant’s PERM filings are suspended. @DOLOIG is on the hunt,” D’Esposito said, referring to Keith Sonderling, Acting Secretary, Department of Labour.
“Alongside @WHFraudTF, we’re following facts, fraud and finances. Handcuffs await,” D’Esposito said.
PERM, or Program Electronic Review Management, is the process through which US employers seek approval from the Department of Labour to sponsor foreign workers for permanent residency.
As part of the process, employers generally must demonstrate that no qualified and available US workers exist for the position and that hiring a foreign worker will not adversely affect the wages or working conditions of American workers.
In July, the Trump administration launched a major investigation into alleged fraud involving the H-1B and PERM employment visa programmes.
Cognizant was founded in Chennai in 1994 and now has its headquarters in Teaneck, New Jersey.
As of June 30, Cognizant received approvals for 3,510 H-1B visa petitions, compared to 9,413 in 2020, according to data shared by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
