Apple Inc. agreed to pay $25 million to settle a Department of Justice case alleging that the iPhone maker illegally discriminated against US citizens in hiring.

The department said in a statement Thursday that Apple showed bias against US workers as part of recruitment for PERM, the permanent labor certification program. The Cupertino, California-based technology giant didn’t advertise such positions on its website and made it more difficult for workers to apply for the jobs, the DOJ said.