BENGALURU: Cognizant’s US green-card filings have been suspended amid an investigation into potential fraud and misuse of employment visa programmes, Anthony D’Esposito, inspector general at US Department of Labor, said in a post on X. “Fighting fraud is a Team Sport…..Threats to American workers will not be tolerated. Alongside @WHFraudTF, we’re following facts, fraud and finances. Handcuffs await,” he posted on X.The move could further complicate the immigration outlook for Cognizant’s foreign employees, many of whom already face prolonged waits and uncertainty over obtaining permanent residency and, eventually, citizenship in US. It could also raise questions among clients about how the company will staff projects requiring specialised skills if the suspension affects the movement or long-term status of foreign workers.Companies generally do not disclose how many employees have received US green cards or how many are currently in the green-card sponsorship process, making it difficult to assess the number of workers directly affected by the suspension.The suspension comes a day after Cognizant announced plans to hire 1,500 US college graduates and expand its frontier certified engineer and frontier business operator workforce to 15,000 people.In July, US Department of Labor launched a nationwide investigation into alleged fraud involving the H-1B and PERM employment visa programmes.
