H-1B visas denied, 70 Indians file lawsuit against US govt: Report
Were denied visas because of fraud committed by their employers
H-1B visas denied, 70 Indians file lawsuit against US govt: Report
New York: Nearly 70 nationals have filed a lawsuit against the US government for denying them H-1B visas because of fraud committed by their employers, a report by Bloomberg Law said.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) denied the Indian graduates H-1B specialty occupation visas despite their subsequent employment at legitimate businesses, a lawsuit filed in federal district court in Washington state said this week.
According to the complaint, the Indian graduates — employed via a training programme for foreign graduates of US colleges and universities — were unfairly punished for their association with those businesses without a chance to respond.
The Indians in the suit worked for four IT staffing companies — Andwill Technologies, AzTech Technologies LLC, Integra Technologies LLC, and WireClass Technologies LLC.
Each of the companies was approved to participate in OPT (Optional Practical Training) and certified through the E-Verify employment verification program.
Many international graduates participate in the OPT programme to start careers in the US while attempting to secure an H-1B visa or other longer-term status.
According to the lawsuit, DHS later uncovered the companies’ scheme to defraud the government, schools, and foreign national students.”Rather than protecting the students, however, DHS later sought to sanction them as if they were co-conspirators who knowingly participated in the fraudulent operation,” the Bloomberg Law said, citing the complaint.
“The agency assumed that anybody who had touched these companies was somehow guilty of fraudulent misrepresentations to the US government in an attempt to get a visa or immigration benefit,” said Wasden Law attorney Jonathan Wasden, who’s representing the plaintiffs.
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