US immigration officials have detected a significant rise in fraudulent activity relating to H1-B visa applications, resulting in the denial and revocation of numerous petitions, and law enforcement referrals for potential criminal prosecution.
A report from the US Customs and Immigration Service (USCIS) revealed that companies may have colluded to submit multiple applications for the same person, with 408,891 applicants found to have multiple registrations for the lottery, compared to 165,180 last year. With a lottery system for the H1-B visas, the existence of multiple applications for the same candidate would increase their chances of receiving a visa allocation.
Of the 780,884 applications received for the 2024 fiscal year, 110,791 were approved, and while the nationality breakdown was not released, around 70% of H1-B visas have typically been awarded to Indians. USCIS has pledged to prevent abuse of the registration process and ensure that only those following the law are eligible to file an H-1B cap petition.
