US immigration body cracks down on fraud in H-1B lottery system, issues warning
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has expressed concern over the increase in fraud associated with the H-1B visa lottery system. They noted that fraud in the H-1B registration system has gone up since the lottery system was implemented.
The USCIS said that the computerised drawing of lots designed to choose H-1B applicants has resulted in abuse of the 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,” USCIS said.
The US government agency also noted that the rise in fraud had prompted them to undertake fraud investigations, deny and revoke petitions and, in some cases, initiate law enforcement referrals for criminal prosecution.
These frauds include individuals filing multiple submissions for the H1-B visa via the lottery system. It is worth noting that 7,80,884 applications were filed in 2024, as compared to 483,927 in 2023, 301,447 in 2022, and 274,237 in 2021.
A group of US Tech Workers campaigning against the H-1B visa stated that they have raised concerns about fraud for several years. They said in a statement, “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,” it said in a statement.”
Meanwhile, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu announced last week that they are on track to issue more than a million visas to Indians this year. Lu assured that the USCIS is prioritizing work visas, including H-1B and L visas, and reducing wait times for consular sections in India, which are now below 60 days.
Lu said, “We’ve also been prioritising work visas: H-1B’s and L visas. Wait times at some of our consular sections in India, for these visas are now below 60 days. We will continue to make sure that we prioritise visas for workers, as this is vital for both the American and the Indian economy.”
