Infosys has agreed to pay a penalty of $34 million to the United States government for making errors in 1-9 paperwork and other visa-related matters.
In a statement, the company said it has completed a civil settlement that concludes the investigation by the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas and resolves all issues with the US Department of State, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and the US Department of Homeland Security.
The United States Department of Homeland Security was reviewing the company's employer eligibility verifications and Infosys had earlier disclosed that the agency had found errors in a "significant percentage" of Form 1-9 reviewed. Form I-9 is used for verifying the identity and employment authorisation of individuals hired for employment in the United States.
In a statement, Infosys said the settlement is focused on historical I-9 paperwork errors from 2010-2011 that Infosys began correcting before the investigation began.
"There is no evidence that the I-9 paperwork violations allowed any Infosys employee to work beyond their visa authorization," the company stated, without elaborating on what the errors were.
"As reflected in the settlement, Infosys denies and disputes any claims of systemic visa fraud, misuse of visas for competitive advantage, or immigration abuse. Those claims are untrue and are assertions that remain unproven. The company's use of B-1 visas was for legitimate business purposes and not in any way intended to circumvent the requirements of the H-1B program. Only .02% of the days that Infosys employees worked on US projects in 2012 were performed by B-1 visa holders," the company added in the statement.
Infosys said the outcome of the settlement will not have any impact on its business. "There were no criminal charges or court rulings against the company. Furthermore, there are no limitations on the company's eligibility for federal contracts or access to US visa programs as a result of the settlement," it said.
Infosys shares closed at Rs 3324 on the Bombay Stock Exchange on Wednesday, down 0.33 per cent. The BSE Sensex closed 0.50 per cent up at 21,033.97.
In a statement, the company said it has completed a civil settlement that concludes the investigation by the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas and resolves all issues with the US Department of State, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and the US Department of Homeland Security.The United States Department of Homeland Security was reviewing the company's employer eligibility verifications and Infosys had earlier disclosed that the agency had found errors in a "significant percentage" of Form 1-9 reviewed. Form I-9 is used for verifying the identity and employment authorisation of individuals hired for employment in the United States.
In a statement, Infosys said the settlement is focused on historical I-9 paperwork errors from 2010-2011 that Infosys began correcting before the investigation began.
"There is no evidence that the I-9 paperwork violations allowed any Infosys employee to work beyond their visa authorization," the company stated, without elaborating on what the errors were.
"As reflected in the settlement, Infosys denies and disputes any claims of systemic visa fraud, misuse of visas for competitive advantage, or immigration abuse. Those claims are untrue and are assertions that remain unproven. The company's use of B-1 visas was for legitimate business purposes and not in any way intended to circumvent the requirements of the H-1B program. Only .02% of the days that Infosys employees worked on US projects in 2012 were performed by B-1 visa holders," the company added in the statement.
Infosys said the outcome of the settlement will not have any impact on its business. "There were no criminal charges or court rulings against the company. Furthermore, there are no limitations on the company's eligibility for federal contracts or access to US visa programs as a result of the settlement," it said.
Infosys shares closed at Rs 3324 on the Bombay Stock Exchange on Wednesday, down 0.33 per cent. The BSE Sensex closed 0.50 per cent up at 21,033.97.
0 comments:
Post a Comment