Chennai H-1B Visas Under Scrutiny: US Economist Alleges “Industrial-Scale Fraud”
America’s H-1B visa programme has come under fresh criticism after former US Representative and economist Dave Brat alleged widespread fraud in visa allocations, claiming that Chennai alone received 220,000 H-1B visas — more than twice the total US annual cap of 85,000.
Speaking on a podcast, Brat said the system had been “captured by industrial-scale fraud” and questioned how one district in India could exceed statutory limits. According to him, 71% of H-1B visas go to India, compared with 12% for China, the second-largest beneficiary.
“There’s a cap of only 85,000 H-1B visas, but somehow Chennai got 220,000 — two and a half times the cap Congress has set,” Brat said, linking the issue to concerns about American workers and the broader MAGA anti-immigration agenda.
Chennai Consulate: A Global H-1B Hub
The Chennai US consulate is one of the busiest H-1B processing centres worldwide, handling applications from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, and Telangana. Brat highlighted the potential economic impact of visa fraud on US families, claiming unqualified applicants were taking jobs and opportunities from Americans.
Claims of Fraud by Former Diplomat
Brat’s comments follow similar allegations by Mahvash Siddiqui, an Indian-American diplomat who served at the Chennai consulate between 2005 and 2007. She said that in 2024 alone, US authorities processed thousands of non-immigrant visas, including 220,000 H-1Bs and 140,000 H-4 visas for family members.
Siddiqui alleged that many H-1B visas issued to Indians were fraudulent, based on fake employer letters, forged degrees, or proxy interviews. She also cited organised operations in Hyderabad, where applicants were coached and provided counterfeit documents to secure visas.
Comments are closed.