Washington DC – Social media giant Facebook was set to pay a fine of $4.75 million to the United States and up to $9.5 million to eligible victims as part of a settlement to resolve claims of discrimination against US workers, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Tuesday.

The DOJ claimed in a 2020 lawsuit that Facebook's hiring process for some positions intentionally discriminated against US workers.

The lawsuit claimed that "in contrast to its standard recruitment practices, Facebook used recruiting methods designed to deter U.S. workers from applying to certain positions ... refused to consider U.S. workers who applied to the positions; and hired only temporary visa holders," the DOJ said in a Tuesday statement.

"Facebook is not above the law," said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division. "Companies cannot set aside certain positions for temporary visa holders because of their citizenship or immigration status."

Facebook also reached a separate settlement with the Department of Labor regarding its use of the permanent labor certification program (PERM).

As part of the settlements, Facebook will have to "conduct additional notice and recruitment for U.S. workers."

"This settlement is an important step forward and means that U.S. workers will have a fair chance to learn about and apply for Facebook's job opportunities," said the Department of Labor's Seema Nanda.

A statement from Facebook was initially not available.