Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Trump administration has launched its first major investigation into alleged fraud involving H-1B and PERM employment visas, with the US Labour Department’s Inspector General saying investigators have already issued dozens of subpoenas as part of a sweeping probe into suspected labour trafficking and abuse of foreign worker programmes.
Labour Department Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito said the investigation would be one of the most aggressive actions ever undertaken by an Inspector General’s office against alleged foreign labour fraud.
He said whistleblowers had raised concerns involving “some of the biggest companies, like Cognizant,” and said investigators would “work side by side with the president and vice president’s fraud task force” as the inquiry moves forward.
D’Esposito alleged that fraud involving foreign labour programmes is linked to wider criminal networks. He also claimed that the alleged fraud extends beyond traditional labour-intensive industries. “This is not just people working… in factories.”
D’Esposito also said the investigation is intended to ensure American workers are not displaced through abuse of employment-based visa programmes. He identified California, New York and Illinois among the states with the largest numbers of visa applicants.
The H-1B visa programme allows US employers to hire foreign professionals in speciality occupations requiring specialised knowledge.
