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| - A widely shared post on social media claimed that Infosys was recently penalised to the tune of ₹283 crore ($34 million) in the United States of America (USA).
Apart from social media users, news outlets such as India.com, MSN, and Puthiya Thalaimurai TV (PTTV), a Tamil-language news network, also shared this claim.
What we found: We ran a keyword search and came across multiple news reports by the New York Times and Economic Times from 2013.
The reports explained how Infosys had consented to pay a $34 million penalty as part of a civil settlement. The agreement came after an inquiry by federal prosecutors in Texas, who revealed what they termed as “systemic visa fraud and abuse.”
As stated in a formal press release from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) dated 29 October 2013, the company faced allegations of improperly using B-1 visas, generally designated for brief business visits.
The government agency charged Infosys with bringing temporary employees from India to the U.S. for positions that should have needed H-1B visas. The improper use of the visa system was deemed a breach of U.S. immigration regulations. The company's activities were part of a larger trend of purported visa fraud, leading officials to initiate legal proceedings.
In a formal press release in 2013, the company refuted and contradicted all allegations of widespread visa fraud, exploitation of visas for competitive gain, or any misuse of the immigration system.
This agreement of a $34 million penalty settled the legal issue. Since that time, no additional fines or accusations have been levied against Infosys concerning visa misuse or by any US government entity.
Conclusion: An old incident of Infosys paying penalty to the USA for alleged visa fraud is being shared on social media, as recent.
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