SVK Systems Inc. paid $257,635 in back wages to 21 employees from India hired through the H-1B visa program, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division reported. SVK Systems is a Montgomery, Ala.-based provider systems integration services, outsourced software development and information technology staffing.

SVK failed to pay the H-1B workers when they were required to report to the Montgomery office for training, the department reported. There were also instances in which the employer did not pay the required prevailing wage rate for some hours worked.

The employees worked at locations in 17 states.

“The Labor Department is responsible for enforcing some of our nation’s most comprehensive federal laws, including provisions of certain temporary worker programs such as H-1B,” said Kenneth Stripling, the Wage and Hour Division’s director of the Birmingham district office. “The Wage and Hour Division vigorously enforces H-1B visa rules to protect both the rights of U.S. citizens and the temporary employees in this program. Employers should not unduly benefit from hiring H-1B workers to fill jobs instead of hiring U.S. workers.”