Immigration officials in the US have discovered a massive fraud behind the gigantic rise in H-1B visa applications for the financial year 2024 starting October. According to media reports, some companies are colluding to submit multiple applications for the same person to increase their chances of getting the temporary work visa.
It must be noted that the US issues H-1B visas on the basis of a lottery system, and persons filing multiple applications get the chances increased of them getting the coveted visa.
The visa fraud was unearthed after immigration officials noted a massive surge in the H-1B visa applications for FY 2024. Companies filed a total of 780,884 applications for H-1B visas this fiscal year, 296,957 more than the FY 2023. On the other hand, just 301,447 applications were filed in 2022 and 274,237 in 2021.
US officials promise a crackdown
US immigration officials have now promised to bolster the registration process to reduce the chances of one person filing multiple applications. In a statement released Friday, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said, “The H-1B programme is an essential part of our nation’s immigration system and our economy, and the USCIS is committed to implementing the law and helping meet the ever-changing needs of the US labour market.”
Watch: H-1B visa fraud: Tech companies accused of gaming H-1B lottery system |
“We are working on an upcoming H-1B modernisation rule that will propose, among other improvements, bolstering the H-1B registration process to reduce the possibility of misuse and fraud in the H-1B registration system,” it added.
USCIS may even revoke approvals based on false registration
The federal agency has warned that it will peruse the applications closely and will reject them if any information provided by the applicant is found incorrect. Also, it may deny or even revoke an approval based on a registration that contained false information and attestation.
As per the statement released by USCIS, “USCIS may also refer the individual or entity who submitted a false attestation to appropriate federal law enforcement agencies for investigation and further action, as appropriate.”
According to NDTV, a group of American tech workers, who have protested in the past against the H-1B visa regime, is now calling on the administration to reinstate the Donald Trump-era reforms.
“The Trump administration had proposed a fix to the H-1B lottery by prioritising selection based on highest wages. You sued the administration so now you have to deal with the fraud that you are complaining about,” the group said.
