Apple pays $25 million over hiring issues

Apple pays $25 million over hiring issues

San Francisco, November 12, 2023

Apple has agreed to pay $25 million to resolve allegations that it favored visa holders over U.S. citizens when hiring employees. The U.S. Department of Justice found that Apple violated immigration and nationality laws when it recruited foreign workers through a labor certification program.

The issue revolves around the Permanent Labor Certification Program (PERM), which requires employers to advertise open positions so that anyone can apply, regardless of citizenship status.

PERM helps companies sponsor foreign workers for permanent residency and often hires international graduates from U.S. universities.

According to the US Department of Justice, Apple did not advertise open positions at PERM on its recruiting site, which violates standard practice.

Apple also required written applications by mail for the PERM positions. The measures restricted the hiring of people outside of PERM, including U.S. citizens and permanent residents, as argued by the DOJ.

In the terms of the settlement, Apple denied engaging in illegal hiring practices. However, the company agreed to pay $6.75 million in civil penalties and set up an $18.25 million restitution fund to compensate affected victims.

Apple will also follow a remediation plan that includes an official PERM recruiting policy and semi-annual reporting of PERM hires and applicants to the DOJ.