Indian Techie On H-1B Visa Sues US Company Over Forced Labour, Caste Bias: "Resembles A Squid Game"

An Indian tech worker has filed a lawsuit in the US against his employer, Siri Software Solutions (SiriSoft), and its Indian-origin CEO, Pavan Tata, alleging forced labour, wage theft, and caste-based discrimination. The company allegedly used its promise to sponsor Amrutesh Vallabhaneni's Green Card as leverage to force him to agree to certain conditions, threatening deportation if he didn't comply, Breitbart News reported. 

The lawsuit claims the company "weaponised" the H-1B visa program to coerce Vallabhaneni into accepting unlawful conditions. SiriSoft allegedly threatened to withdraw his visa, which would force him to leave the US. As a result, Vallabhaneni was reportedly forced to cover his own salary for six months and was often paid inconsistently, barely earning enough for basic needs like rent and medical care.

"Forced labor, labor trafficking, and withholding visa documents are crimes," the lawsuit said.

The company allegedly used the promise of green card sponsorship as a tool of coercion, repeatedly threatening to halt the process if he did not comply with their demands. The techie and his wife suffered significant financial and emotional distress, including a lapse in health insurance that left them without medical treatment for an injury.

"Despite these blatant violations, Vallabhaneni was not free to leave SiriSoft because SiriSoft threatened to withdraw his H-1B if he did not comply with their unlawful requests," the US news outlet reported, citing the lawsuit.

The lawsuit, which seeks full compensation and damages, has been described by a labour trafficking expert as a "Squid Game" scenario for Indian workers, highlighting broader concerns about the exploitation of H-1B visa holders in the US tech industry.

For the Indian workers, "this is a Squid Game … where the ultimate goal is to stay in America," Jay Palmer, a consultant who helped prepare the lawsuit, told Breitbart News. "It's a very, very exploitative culture.Indian CEOs import home-country caste-discrimination politics into US workplaces", he added. 

Siri Software Solutions has not yet responded publicly to the allegations.

Amrutesh Vallabhaneni's journey in the US began with an F-1 student visa in 2015. He worked at E-Content, a New Jersey company, under uncertain pay and conditions. In 2018, he joined SiriSoft, which promised an H-1B nomination, offering three more years of work authorisation and a potential green card path. The H-1B visa is coveted for its green card eligibility, making it a significant career milestone.