Infosys in process of resolving U.S. visa investigation

By Harichandan Arakali

BANGALORE (Reuters) - Indian IT firm Infosys Ltd said on Tuesday it was in the process of reaching a settlement with the U.S. government over the company's alleged misuse of temporary business visas.

U.S. authorities have been investigating India's second-largest information technology services exporter since 2011.

The Wall Street Journal had earlier said that the United States was expected to announce a resolution in the case on Wednesday. A resolution had yet to be finalised, Infosys said in a statement on Tuesday.

"In response to reports attributed to Justice Department officials, Infosys is in the process of completing a civil resolution with the government regarding its investigation of visa issues and I-9 documentation errors," the company said.

I-9 forms document verification of the identity of employees and their authorisation to work in the United States.

"The resolution has not been finalized," Infosys said.

"Infosys denies any claims of systemic visa fraud, misuse of visas for competitive advantage, or immigration abuse," the company said in an addition to its statement.

Indian IT outsourcing firms like Infosys use thousands of visas to bring in employees, mainly from India, a practice that has come under intense scrutiny as it is seen by some U.S. policymakers as hurting the American job market.

Earlier this month, Infosys said it had set aside a reserve of $35 million as it worked towards a resolution for the U.S. government's investigation.

(Reporting by Harichandan Arakali; Editing by Miral Fahmy; Editing by Anthony Barker)