The U.S. Department of Justice has penalised California-based tech recruiting firm Epik Solutions for unlawfully discriminating against American workers in favour of foreign H-1B visa holders. This marks the first settlement under the revived “Protecting US Workers Initiative,” a federal initiative aimed at ensuring fair employment opportunities for U.S. citizens.
An investigation revealed that Epik Solutions violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by publishing job advertisements that explicitly excluded U.S. citizens and prioritized foreign workers on H-1B visas. The company’s actions were found to be in direct violation of federal employment laws, which prohibit discrimination based on nationality in job hiring.
As part of the settlement, Epik Solutions has agreed to a civil penalty of $71,916, payable to the U.S. government. Additionally, the company must revise its hiring and recruitment practices, undergo compliance training, and cease placing discriminatory job ads that exclude U.S. workers.
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Harmeet K. Dhillon, emphasised the importance of this enforcement action, stating, “Protecting American workers from unlawful discrimination in favor of foreign visa workers is a top priority of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. The days of the federal government looking the other way on American workforce protection are over.” The settlement with Epik Solutions signals a renewed commitment by the federal government to uphold fair labor practices and prevent the unfair exclusion of American workers from employment opportunities. The Department of Justice’s “Protecting US Workers Initiative” was relaunched to hold employers accountable for discriminatory practices that favor foreign workers over U.S. citizens.
According to Epik Soultion’s website,It is the next generation digital and workforce transformation company build on a simple premise of helping you simplify and grow your business. It is a firm with 150+ digital marketing, development & workforce management resources. The services include, website development, mobile application, inbound marketing, search engine optimization, social media marketing/optimization, ad words management, email marketing, reputation management.