LTI is alleged to have issued letters of invitation to some of its employees to work on-site on the Apple account, when the USCIS procedure required that the letters be issued by Apple.
LTI CEO Sanjay Jalona is said to have travelled to Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino to address the concerns.
BENGALURU: L&T Infotech (LTI) is being questioned by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for documentary discrepancy and procedural lapses related to one of its key customers, Apple. The development is said to have deeply soured the relationship between LTI and the iPhone maker. LTI is alleged to have issued letters of invitation to some of its employees to work on-site on the Apple account, when the USCIS procedure required that the letters be issued by Apple. When the USCIS cross-referenced these with Apple, the latter is said to have denied any knowledge of such letters being issued.
Following this, Apple has ramped down its IT outsourcing work with LTI, sources said. The sources also told TOI that Apple plans to transition all LTI work to other service providers and stop working with the Indian company. LTI CEO Sanjay Jalona is said to have travelled to Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino to address the concerns. But that did not help. Around 400 LTI employees work on the Apple account, providing application development and maintenance & testing services. Apple’s annual contract value with LTI is estimated to be around $25 million.
TOI sent multiple messages to LTI on the matter, but did not receive a response. Apple too did not comment.
The USCIS responded, but did not specifically address the LTI issue. Philip Smith, public affairs officer – Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico in the USCIS, said, “Due to the nature of our anti-fraud investigations, USCIS cannot provide additional details on the techniques and processes for how we handle specific tips.”
