"Fraud Uncovered in H-1B Lottery Rigging Scheme, Indian American Denies Accusations"
The H-1b visa scam: Bloomberg and the CNN report The largest foreign worker employment policy in US history exploded on Tuesday, through a brilliant investigation carried out by Bloomberg. The report said H-1B lottery fraud was also connected to Indian American Kandi Srinivasa Reddy. Reddy outright refuses the allegations. The H-1B visa system is a crucial part of the American workforce as it buffs up foreign workers who obtain comparative levels of work elsewhere. Nevertheless, the Bloomberg investigation explains how some companies have been able to cheat this system – making it an incredibly difficult task for those who are genuine applicants and calling into question once again whether the H-1B visa processing is finally a transparent hiring process.
H-1B Lottery Fraud Mechanisms
There were only about 85,000 H-1B visas available that year and 446,000 people applied for them in all of fiscal year 2023. The report charges that years of broken processes have enabled more than 11,600 visas to be issued to bloated outsourcing companies with large foreign workforces (that had likely inundated the lottery). The next 22,600 visas were for IT staffing firms. The investigation revealed that in many cases firms gamed the system by submitting a handful of entries for each worker, thus dramatically increasing their odds.
This data, obtained by Bloomberg through a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security concerning 2020 to 2023 projections, demonstrates that certain staffing firms found an ingenious way to game the system via what is known as “multiple registration.” This involves entering the same individual into multiple lotteries, in an effort to increase his/her chances of being selected for a visa -a manipulation that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) describes as H-1B lottery fraud. The alleged fraud involved around 15,500 visas – nearly one in six of those awarded last year according to the findings. Some operators even went to the extent of running as many as 12 companies and applying for the same set of applicants in a single year up to 15 times getting hundreds of H1-B visa processing in contravention leaving several genuine applicants high and dry.
What This Could Mean for H-1B Visa Processing?
The USCIS started with a first-come, first-serve system for H1B visas and then switched to the lottery due to an overload in that application quota. The limit is 85,000 caps on visas. However, each year it randomly selects names from the pool of nearly double that amount — making odds on securing a visa increasingly slim. The exposure of the H-1B lottery fraud system has massive consequences for both the workforce in America and individuals looking to move there from another country. Functional enforcement of these regulations is stymied by the inability of the USCIS effectively to enforce, prompting significant questions about its capacity to do so. The situation highlights the call for much-needed reform that provides a level ground and impartial process to all applicants.
How to Get Through the H-1B Visa Process?
Now you can act on this knowledge in the future, when applying for an H-1B visa with a full and effective application using expert assistance from FND Overseas Education. We help you through the visa process to make sure your application stays within regulations and you pour every drop of chance into it. There is a serious need for enforcement and transparency including the recent revelations about H-1B visa lottery rigging. With investigations ongoing, potential candidates are encouraged to consider professional advice and assistance of the highest quality, so as not to end up in those fraudulent traps. FND Overseas Education is dedicated to assisting U.S. job seekers by offering them the necessary tips for a smooth and respectful ride with your H-1B visa application process.
