Former U.S. Congressman and economist Dave Brat, along with Indian-American diplomat Mahvash Siddiqui, have raised serious concerns over the integrity of the H-1B visa program, accusing it of widespread fraud, particularly through the U.S. consulate in Chennai.
The H-1B visa allows U.S. companies to hire foreign professionals, and Indians constitute the largest group of beneficiaries. Brat alleges that the system is plagued by what he termed “industrial-scale fraud”, pointing out that 71% of all H-1B visas go to Indian applicants, while only 12% go to Chinese workers. He claimed that the Chennai region alone received 220,000 H-1B approvals — far surpassing the annual cap of 85,000.
Brat accused the system of encouraging unqualified applicants to take jobs meant for Americans, while Siddiqui, a former consular officer in Chennai from 2005 to 2007, supported these claims. She claimed that 80–90% of non-immigrant visa applicants from India were fraudulent, mostly for H-1B visas.
According to her, forged documentation and fake qualifications were widespread, especially in locations like Ameerpet in Hyderabad. Siddiqui said her repeated alerts to Washington during her tenure went unheeded due to political pressure, which she said came from efforts to maintain diplomatic ties with India.
The Trump administration had previously echoed similar sentiments, with officials labeling the visa program as a scam and vowing reforms by introducing a more merit-based, wage-focused system.
Despite these criticisms, President Trump recently expressed support for hiring foreign workers to educate Americans in advanced technologies, causing tension with his “America First” supporters.
