Who is Ravi Kumar? CEO of Cognizant, IT giant which is facing probe in US for H-1B visa fraud, he has studied from…

Indian IT firm Cognizant has come under scrutiny after the United States on Wednesday launched a sweeping investigation into the alleged H-1B visa fraud and PERM work visa programmes. The probe carried out by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) under the Labor Department is part of the task force to prevent fraud. This initiative is led by US Vice President JD Vance.

Cognizant’s name was specifically mentioned by Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito under the Department of Labor while discussing the ongoing probe. “We’ve already started to issue dozens of subpoenas; we are going to make sure that we track down every lead. We have whistleblowers talking about some of the biggest companies like Cognizant, who have been sort of, you know, in the chatter of issues with PERM and H-1B visas,” He told Fox Business.

D’Esposito’s remarks have come under the spotlight as Cognizant is one of the largest users of US work visas among Indian tech firms. The company reportedly employs thousands of professionals in the US. “Much of the visa and the human trafficking that we see when it comes to this foreign labor is tied to cartels, is tied to transnational gangs, and this is the work that we should be doing, not only to make America safe again, but to make America more affordable again,” he added.

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Who is Ravi Kumar S?

As Cognizant faces scrutiny amid a US probe into alleged H-1B visa fraud, attention has turned to Ravi Kumar, the Indian-origin executive leading the IT major as its CEO since January 2023. According to cognizant.com, in his role as CEO, Kumar sets the firm’s strategic direction, promotes its client-first culture, focuses on driving long-term growth, and creating long-term value for shareholders.

Ravi Kumar holds an MBA from Xavier Institute of Management, India. He is described as a highly accomplished tech industry executive with years of experience in driving business transformation. He was recently included in the Time AI 100 2025 as one of the most influential leaders driving innovation in artificial intelligence.

Before joining Cognizant as the CEO, Kumar served as Infosys President from 2016 to 2022. Earlier, he was the Group Head for the Insurance, Healthcare, and Cards and Payments unit. He has also led the Global Delivery organization where he developed the Oracle and CRM practices.

Prior to joining Infosys, Kumar served in positions of growing responsibility at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Cambridge Technology Partners, Oracle and Sapient (now Publicis Sapient). He started his professional journey as a nuclear scientist at the Bhabha Atomic Research Center of India.

His other roles include being a member of the board of directors of TransUnion and the board of governors of the New York Academy of Sciences. He is the Chair of the AI working committee of the US Chamber of Commerce and on their board of directors. Additionally, he is on the Board of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF).

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What is an H-1B visa?

The H-1B is a non-immigrant work visa that allows US employers to recruit highly skilled foreign professionals in specialised occupations. It is granted for an initial period of 3 years and can be extended for up to 6 years.

Why will Indians be hit the hardest?

The tech sector is the largest user of H-1B visas. It accounts for nearly 60-70 per cent of all new applications in recent years. Other prominent users include engineering and manufacturing, consulting and professional services, higher education, and healthcare and medical research.

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