A former U.S. consular officer said many H-1B applications she reviewed in India contained false information, as prosecutors and state officials pursue separate cases involving fake jobs, ghost offices and alleged visa fraud schemes.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Allegations of widespread fraud in the H-1B visa system are drawing renewed scrutiny after a former U.S. diplomat claimed that a large share of applications from India contained false information, while federal prosecutors and state officials pursue separate investigations into alleged abuse of the program.
Former U.S. Foreign Service Officer Mahvash Siddiqui, who served at the U.S. consulate in Chennai, India, told Newsweek that many applicants submitted fake degrees, forged documents or otherwise lacked the qualifications required for the H-1B program.
Siddiqui, who said she adjudicated tens of thousands of visa applications, described the problem as “industrialized fraud.”
“I would say 80 to 90 percent of the people that I encountered in each of the visa categories, especially the young people between the ages of 20 to 45 that had very few ties to India, were basically using the non-immigrant visa pipeline to essentially come and work in the United States and never go back home and essentially displace American workers,” Siddiqui said.
She also said fraud is normalized in India in the same way bribery is normalized there.
A video of Siddiqui discussing the issue was shared in an X post.
The H-1B program allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations, including technology and engineering jobs. Critics have long argued that the program has been abused by recruiting firms, outsourcing companies and shell businesses that use questionable paperwork to bring foreign workers into the United States while undercutting American employees.
Recent criminal cases have added fuel to those concerns. In April, federal prosecutors announced that two California men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit H-1B visa fraud after submitting petitions tied to jobs that prosecutors said did not exist at the University of California.
Authorities said the defendants used fraudulent job offers to obtain visa approvals, then reassigned workers elsewhere after the visas were issued. Investigators concluded that the applications included false information and that the workers were not employed in the positions described in the petitions.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has also opened a broad investigation into businesses suspected of abusing the H-1B system through alleged “ghost offices” and sham companies.
Paxton’s office said evidence suggests some firms may have created fake operations, listed residential homes as company headquarters, advertised nonexistent products and services, and sponsored H-1B workers despite showing little evidence of real business activity.
“Any criminal who attempts to scam the H-1B visa program and use ‘ghost offices’ or other fraudulent ploys should be prepared to face the full force of the law,” Paxton said when announcing the probe.
Reports indicate the Texas investigation has expanded to nearly 30 companies in North Texas.
The allegations from Siddiqui and the ongoing enforcement actions have intensified debate over whether the H-1B system is being properly monitored. Supporters of the program argue it helps U.S. companies fill skilled labor needs, while critics say weak enforcement has allowed fraud, fake credentials and labor displacement to spread.
The latest cases point to several areas investigators are examining, including forged documents, fake job offers, shell companies, nonexistent worksites and petitions submitted for positions that do not match the work ultimately performed.
Federal and state authorities have not said how many total companies or applicants may ultimately be implicated. But the guilty pleas in California, the Texas probe and Siddiqui’s claims have pushed H-1B fraud back into the national immigration debate as lawmakers and enforcement officials consider whether stronger verification and penalties are needed.
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