Federal authorities are investigating a job posting seeking H-1B applicants, led by Harmeet Dhillon, as part of a broader review into alleged national origin discrimination by employers.
WASHINGTON, DC – Harmeet Dhillon, the head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, announced on social media that federal authorities are investigating a controversial job recruitment post. This inquiry is part of a larger review into allegations of national origin discrimination by American employers.
Dhillon confirmed that the Justice Department is collaborating with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Department of Labor to review the advertisement. The scrutiny was prompted by users on X, formerly known as Twitter, who highlighted a recruiting email for a technology position in Massachusetts that included the phrase “need H1B.”
The Justice Department later confirmed to Newsweek that the Trump administration has initiated a formal review of the job advertisement that specifically seeks H-1B visa holders. This confirmation followed statements from a senior official indicating that multiple federal agencies are actively examining the recruitment post.
The investigation centers around a Citrix administration position located in Burlington, Massachusetts. The job was advertised by a recruiter named Varshendra Chaturvedi from Next Level Business Services, describing what appears to be a contract role for Tata Consultancy Services.
Publicly available records indicate that Chaturvedi works for NLB Services, a staffing and IT services company based in Georgia that specializes in technology recruiting and consulting. Job postings linked to Chaturvedi have been noted for their explicit language, such as “need H1B candidates only.”
This multi-agency inquiry comes as the Trump administration is pursuing significant changes to the H-1B visa program. Proposed reforms include new fees, revisions to visa selection criteria, and increased enforcement against employers accused of violating program regulations.
Among the proposed changes, the Department of Homeland Security has suggested imposing an additional fee of $103,265 on certain H-1B petitions selected through the annual cap process. This proposal follows a previous effort by the Trump administration to require a $100,000 payment for some new H-1B petitions. However, a federal judge later vacated the guidance implementing that requirement, and an appeals court declined to uphold the payment mandate while litigation over the policy is ongoing.
The ongoing investigation and proposed changes to the H-1B visa program reflect a broader scrutiny of employment practices and the treatment of foreign workers in the United States, raising questions about fairness and compliance in the recruitment process.
According to Newsweek, the implications of this investigation could have significant repercussions for employers and their hiring practices moving forward.