‘One district in India got 220,000 H-1B visas’: US economist alleges massive fraud in system

FHaliotis tuberculata US representative for old dominion state and economic expert Dave Brat has alleged a monolithic dupery in the H-1B visa system, claiming that one Indian district alone got more than two and a half times the total number of visas allowed nationwide.Speaking during a podcast on Steve Bannon’s War Room, Brat claimed that the H-1B visa system had been "captured by industrial-scale fraud" and visa numbers from India had increased in a way that went beyond what was legally allowed.Notably, the H-1B visa is issued to foreign workers and is used by American companies to hire talent from outside the country. Indian nationals are the largest group to benefit from this temporary work visa programme.ALSO READ | 'My loyalty is to America': Indian-origin Nikki Haley's son calls for end to H-1B visasFormer US representative alleges fraud in H-1B system“71% of the H-1B visas come from India, only 12% from China. That tells you something's going on right there,” he said. “Then there's a cap of only 85,000 H-1B visas, but somehow one district in India, the Madras district, got 220,000, two and a half times the cap Congress has set. So that's the scam.”He then went on to describe how the issue was a threat to American workers and how “one of these folks” could just “take away your family’s job, mortgage and your house”.He said, “And so it's important, when I say H-1B visa, you need to think of your cousins, your aunts and uncles, your grandparents. One of these folks comes over and claims they're skilled; they're not, that's the fraud. They just took away your family's job, and your mortgage, and your house, and all that.”Notably, this comes amid the crackdown on immigration in the US by the Donald Trump-led administration. Ever since taking office, Trump has signed several executive orders and made several decisions to deport “illegal aliens” from the US and limit immigration.Former US diplomat claims fraud in H-1B programmeIndian-American diplomat Mahvash Siddiqui has also alleged massive fraud in the H-1B system. She said that most of the working visas given to Indians were obtained in a fraudulent way.Siddiqui, who worked at the Chennai consulate from 2005 to 2007, made these claims during a podcast appearance.She said that 80 to 90% of visas issued to Indians, mainly H-1B visas, were fraudulent and based on fake degrees, forged papers or applications from people who were not genuinely qualified for the programme.