Job Posting Seeking H-1B Applicants Triggers Probe Led by Harmeet Dhillon
India-West News Desk
WASHINGTON, DC – Harmeet Dhillon, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, revealed on social media that federal authorities are examining a controversial recruiting post as part of a broader review into alleged national origin discrimination by American employers.
Dhillon confirmed that the Justice Department is reviewing the advertisement alongside the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Department of Labor after users on X highlighted a recruiting email for a Massachusetts technology role containing the phrase “need H1b.”
The Justice Department subsequently confirmed to Newsweek that the Trump administration has opened a formal review into the job advertisement seeking H-1B visa holders. The confirmation followed statements from a senior official indicating that several federal agencies were actively examining the recruiting post.
At the center of the investigation is an advertised Citrix administration position located in Burlington, Massachusetts. Sent by a recruiter identified as Varshendra Chaturvedi of Next Level Business Services, the message described what appeared to be a contract role for Tata Consultancy Services.
Publicly available recruiting postings associated with Chaturvedi show the recruiter works for NLB Services, a Georgia-based staffing and IT services company providing technology recruiting and consulting services. Public job-board records reveal multiple postings attributed to Chaturvedi featuring explicit language such as “need H1B candidates only.”
The multi-agency inquiry occurs as the Trump administration pursues a major overhaul of the H-1B visa program, proposing new fees, revising visa selection criteria, and stepping up enforcement against employers accused of violating program rules.
As part of these structural changes, the Department of Homeland Security has proposed imposing an additional $103,265 fee on certain H-1B petitions selected through the annual cap process. This proposal follows a separate Trump administration effort to require a $100,000 payment for some new H-1B petitions. A federal judge later vacated the guidance implementing that $100,000 requirement, and an appeals court declined to keep the payment requirement in place while litigation over the policy continues.
