The Justice Department secured a settlement agreement with the Chartered Financial Analysts Institute (CFAI) for discriminating against U.S. workers in favor of H-1B visa workers. Under the settlement, CFAI will pay $321,000 in civil penalties, train employees on anti-discrimination provisions of the Immigration and Naturalization Act, and accept departmental monitoring and reporting requirements.
CFAI, an international association of investment professionals headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia, certifies financial analysts who pass an exam. A Justice Department investigation found that CFAI hired H-1B visa holders over U.S. workers when it selected exam graders.
Commenting on the settlement, Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband said, “The Civil Rights Division works diligently to stop employers from unlawfully denying employment opportunities to qualified and available U.S. workers. We appreciate CFAI’s cooperation and look forward to working with the organization to ensure that it does not disqualify exam graders based on their citizenship status.”
Under the Protecting U.S. Workers Initiative, the Department’s Civil Rights Division has opened dozens of investigations, filed one lawsuit, and reached settlement agreements with five employers. Under those settlements, employers have agreed to pay or have distributed over $300,000 in back pay to affected U.S. workers.
Read more in the Justice Department’s announcement.
