DOJ Gains 3-Year Oversight of OpenAI's Green-Card Sponsorships in $3.2M Settlement

TechCrunch · United States · Aug 5, 2026

The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division has reached a settlement with OpenAI and its former subsidiary Statsig over alleged violations of the Immigration and Nationality Act, requiring $3.2 million in payments and three years of DOJ oversight of the companies' PERM hiring practices. The DOJ alleged both companies used tactics — including late-night radio ads and paper-only applications — to discourage qualified U.S. citizens from applying for roles being sponsored for permanent residency. As part of the settlement, the companies must have their PERM-role hiring policies approved by the DOJ and submit semiannual reports on foreign worker applications and U.S. citizen interviews. The DOJ framed this as part of a broader enforcement crackdown, noting similar settlements were reached with Facebook and Apple under the Biden administration.