The US Justice Department says Microsoft asked job applications for unnecessary immigration documents to prove they could work for the company without requiring its sponsorship for work visas.
It was found in an investigation that Microsoft discriminated against at least six lawful permanent residents by requesting that they show a Permanent Resident Card to prove they were allowed to work in the US without employer sponsorship.
Microsoft is set to overhaul parts of its hiring process under the settlement to ensure the company is acting in line with US law, which prohibits employers from asking for documents unnecessarily.
In a statement, a Microsoft spokesperson said, “We hire and confirm employment eligibility for tens of thousands of people, and a handful were mistakenly asked for extra information or documentation.”
"We appreciate we need to prevent these mistakes and have worked to address these issues and improve our internal processes as part of our commitment to compliance.”