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The long-running concerns about abuse of America’s H-1B visa program are exploding back into the spotlight after a series of fraud investigations, criminal guilty pleas, and shocking allegations from a former U.S. diplomat who claims that as many as 80% to 90% of H-1B visa applications from India contained fraudulent information or involved unqualified applicants.
The revelations come as federal and state authorities ramp up investigations into alleged visa fraud schemes that critics say have displaced American workers while enriching a network of foreign recruiting firms, shell companies, and immigration middlemen.
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 failed to meet the qualifications required for the highly coveted visa program.
Siddiqui described the problem as “industrialized fraud” during a recent interview discussing her experience adjudicating tens of thousands of visa applications.
“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 stated.
She added that fraud is normalized in India in the same way bribery is normalized there.
WATCH:
OMG. A MASSIVE India H-1B visa fraud ring has just been busted…nearly 90% PERCENT of India’s visa applications contain FRAUDULENT INFORMATION
100,000 THOUSAND counterfeit certificates have been seized
“Law enforcement in India claim it has uncovered a network of… pic.twitter.com/vGz6uZSahW
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 6, 2026
In April, federal prosecutors announced that two California men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit H-1B visa fraud after submitting petitions for jobs that did not actually exist at the University of California.
Prosecutors said the defendants used fraudulent job offers to obtain visa approvals and then reassigned workers elsewhere after the visas were issued.
Federal investigators concluded that the applications contained false information and that the workers were not employed in the positions described in the visa petitions.
Meanwhile, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched 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 business operations, listed residential homes as company headquarters, advertised nonexistent products and services, and sponsored H-1B workers despite showing little evidence of legitimate 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 investigation has expanded to nearly 30 companies in North Texas.
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