“Quota is 85,000… but Chennai alone got 220,000 H-1B visas,” US economist alleges massive visa fraud

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Former U.S. lawmaker and economist Dr. Dave Brat has alleged large-scale fraud in the H-1B visa system. Speaking on a podcast, he claimed that one district in India received far more H-1B visas than the legal annual limit for the entire United States. His statements have revived calls to reassess the visa program, especially at a time when the Trump administration is tightening scrutiny of H-1B visas.

During a conversation on Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast, Brat said the H-1B system has been overtaken by “industrial-level fraud.” He stated that the number of visas issued to applicants from India is far above the legal cap. According to him, while the limit is 85,000 visas, the Madras (Chennai) region alone received 220,000 H-1B visas, which he claims is nearly two and a half times the official quota. Brat also pointed out that 71% of H-1B visas go to Indian applicants, with another 12% issued to Chinese applicants, raising questions about irregularities.

Brat argued that this system is also affecting American workers. Many applicants, he claimed, present themselves as highly skilled even when they are not, which he described as “fraud” that impacts U.S. jobs and household incomes.

Reports indicate that in 2024, the U.S. Consulate in Chennai processed around 220,000 H-1B visas and 140,000 H-4 visas. This consulate handles applications from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, and Telangana, making it one of the busiest H-1B processing centers globally.

Brat’s remarks have brought back attention to earlier allegations by Mehvash Siddiqui, an Indian-origin American Foreign Service officer who served at the Chennai consulate nearly two decades ago. In an interview, she described widespread fraud involving fake documents, inaccurate qualifications, and proxy applicants within the H-1B system.

Siddiqui said that between 2005 and 2007, she issued about 51,000 non-immigrant visas, many of them H-1B visas. According to her, 80–90% of applications from India involved fake degrees, forged paperwork, or underqualified candidates.

She identified Hyderabad’s Ameerpet area as a major hub where certain institutions allegedly trained visa applicants and provided counterfeit employment letters, educational certificates, and even marital documents.

Siddiqui also claimed that when consular officials began identifying large-scale fraud, they faced resistance. She said there was “political pressure,” and some senior officials dismissed anti-fraud efforts as an “unusual campaign.”

According to her, bribery and document fraud were common, and many applicants backed out when told that a U.S. officer would interview them. In some cases, proxy candidates appeared in the interview. She also alleged that some local hiring managers demanded money to support visa applications in exchange for job offers.

The H-1B visa program allows U.S. companies especially in the technology sector to hire skilled foreign professionals. A majority of these visas go to Indian citizens. In 2024 alone, about 70% of all H-1B visas were issued to Indian applicants, keeping India the largest source of skilled migrants in the U.S. labour market.