US Justice Department penalises company for favouring H-1B workers

The US Justice Department recently announced a settlement with Epik Solutions, a tech recruiting company based in California, for violating the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

Epik Solutions was found to have favoured foreign H-1B visa holders over US workers in its recruitment practices.

This settlement is significant as it's the first since the department relaunched its "Protecting US Workers Initiative," which aims to crack down on companies that illegally discriminate against American workers in favour of foreign visa workers.

As part of the agreement, Epik Solutions will:

* Pay $71,916 in civil penalties to the US government.
* Undergo training.
* Revise its employment policies.
* Stop placing job advertisements that unlawfully exclude U.S. workers.

"Protecting American workers from unlawful discrimination in favor of foreign visa workers is a top priority of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division," said assistant attorney general for civil rights, Harmeet K. Dhillon.

She added that companies engaging in such discrimination are now on notice that "the days of the federal government looking the other way on American workforce protection are over."