Apple has reached a $25 million settlement with the Department of Justice (DOJ) over allegations of discriminatory hiring practices that favored visa holders, sidelining US citizens and permanent residents. The DOJ, in a statement on Thursday, disclosed that this marks the largest sum collected under the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
The crux of the matter lies in the Permanent Labor Certification Program (PERM), a federal initiative overseen by the Department of Labor and the Department of Homeland Security. This program enables US employers to petition for foreign workers on visas to attain permanent US residency. As per the PERM protocol, employers must conspicuously advertise job openings, welcoming applications irrespective of citizenship status.
The DOJ asserted that Apple transgressed these regulations by neglecting to showcase PERM positions on their recruitment platform. Moreover, they allegedly heightened the application barriers by mandating paper submissions through mail, a requirement not extended to regular, non-PERM roles. Consequently, a DOJ inquiry unveiled a scarcity or absence of applications from US citizens or permanent residents, exempt from work visas, for these positions.
In the settlement terms, Apple is slated to pay $6.75 million in civil penalties and institute an $18.25 million fund to redress eligible victims of discrimination, according to the DOJ's official communication.
Apple, however, contested the DOJ's depiction of events. A spokesperson for the company conveyed to CNBC, "Apple proudly employs more than 90,000 individuals in the United States and continues to invest nationwide, creating millions of jobs." They acknowledged unintentional deviations from DOJ standards and concurred to a settlement to address concerns. Apple claims to have initiated a robust remediation plan, aligning with diverse government agencies' requisites as they persist in recruiting American workers and expanding their presence in the United States.