US whistleblower accuses Infosys of visa fraud

IANS

Washington, 13 April 2012: India’s IT giant Infosys brought in Indian workers illegally to US and often abused business visa rules requiring foreign workers to be paid US market rate, a former company insider has alleged.

 

Infosys could just have easily found local IT specialists to do what they were bringing foreigners in to do, at a fraction of the cost, Jay Palmer, a consultant for the firm was quoted as saying by CBS.

 

Infosys said in a statement televised by CBS that Palmer’s "allegations make for an interesting story, but it is not the facts."

 

A judge and jury will have the final say on Palmer’s accusations later this summer in an Alabama civil court case, it added.

 

Palmer told CBS the first thing to catch his attention was an employee that had been in the US from India several times before.

 

He then began digging into how and why Infosys seemed to be bringing in large numbers of workers from its corporate headquarters in Bangalore into the US.

 

Palmer alleged the Indian workers on his team were paid substantially less than an American would have made in the same job.

 

When the US State Department began to limit the number of H-1B visas, Palmer said Infosys began using another type of visa, the B-1.

 

The B-1 is meant for employees who are travelling to consult with associates, attend training or a convention. But Palmer said the employees were brought in not for meetings, but for full time jobs.