iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
The US Department of Labor has imposed a penalty of $85,405 to VoiceXnet Technologies for violating the H-1B visa program.
VoiceXnet Technologies is a management consulting company based in Texas and Hyderabad which had ‘benched’ an employee it had brought to the US on an H-1B visa and failed to pay wages as promised.
“Benching” refers to the illegal practice of an employer placing an H-1B worker in unpaid, nonproductive status which is in violation of federal law.
The company had hired a software developer on an H-1B but failed to notify the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that it was terminating the worker’s H-1B visa and not giving him work, or wages from Jan 1, 2019 to Feb 3, 2020.
This is a violation because the worker was rendered unpaid and nonproductive and his visa should have been terminated.
So the worker’s rights were violated since they are entitled to rights and protections afforded to them under immigration law and Department of Labor regulations.
Nonimmigrant workers who receive visas to work in the U.S. for a set period of time have various rights and protections afforded to them under immigration law and Department of Labor regulations.
As a result of the investigation, the division recovered $85,405 for the employee.
“Employers who hire nonimmigrant H-1B workers must comply with all requirements which are clearly detailed in the program’s application process,” said Wage and Hour District Director Troy Mouton in New Orleans. “They are obligated to follow all applicable procedures when they receive authority to employ nonimmigrant workers. We encourage employers to contact us if they are unclear about their obligations.”
