{"id":1314312,"date":"2026-09-28T09:32:42","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T04:02:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/?p=1314312"},"modified":"2026-09-28T09:37:05","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T04:07:05","slug":"us-govt-starts-nation-wide-hunt-for-visa-frauds-weve-handcuffs-ready-says-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/us-govt-starts-nation-wide-hunt-for-visa-frauds-weve-handcuffs-ready-says-trump\/","title":{"rendered":"US Govt Starts Nation-Wide Hunt For Visa Frauds: “We’ve Handcuffs Ready”, Says Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

The US administration is signalling major changes to the H-1B visa programme as federal investigators expand a nationwide crackdown on alleged visa fraud, worker exploitation and other abuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

US Labor Department Inspector General Anthony D\u2019Esposito has warned that the foreign-worker visa system could look substantially different within the next year as investigations and enforcement actions continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018We Have Handcuffs Ready\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

D\u2019Esposito has described the investigation as much broader than a routine review of paperwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the inspector general, federal authorities are building cases involving alleged fake employers, sham jobs, visa mills and potential exploitation of foreign workers. He said investigators are using subpoenas, search warrants and other enforcement tools as part of the probe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Labor Department’s Office of Inspector General has already issued dozens of subpoenas and carried out search warrants at multiple locations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cognizant And Cloudera Applications Under Investigation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The crackdown has also reached major technology companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Labor Department has said that certain visa applications involving IT services company Cognizant and software company Cloudera were suspended while criminal investigations were underway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The investigations are focused on alleged violations of the foreign-labor system. They do not by themselves establish wrongdoing by the companies or their employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities are examining whether employers and intermediaries have misused the H-1B system to obtain workers through arrangements that do not comply with programme requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Major H-1B Policy Changes Already Underway<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latest warning comes after the administration introduced several changes to H-1B policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A September 18 executive order directs federal agencies to consider whether an employer has recently laid off US workers when evaluating H-1B applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Labor Department has also been directed to review previously submitted Labor Condition Applications and determine whether additional enforcement action is warranted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Separately, restrictions on the entry of certain H-1B workers have been extended until September 21, 2027. Under the current proclamation, covered petitions for workers outside the US generally require a USD 100,000 payment, subject to specified exceptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

H-1B Registrations Have Fallen Sharply<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The administration says the policy changes have already affected H-1B application patterns.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to figures cited by the White House, combined H-1B registrations from the largest IT staffing and outsourcing companies fell from 24,946 to 2,055, a 92% decline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The administration has also reported a significant reduction in consular processing requests and a shift towards higher-paid and higher-skilled applicants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These figures are government-reported measurements and reflect the impact of the policy changes rather than an independent assessment of the entire H-1B programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Happens Next For H-1B Workers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latest comments do not indicate that the H-1B programme itself is being abolished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, the administration is increasing scrutiny of employers, visa applications and labour-condition filings while investigating alleged fraud and exploitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Indian technology professionals and companies that rely heavily on H-1B workers, the coming year could therefore bring additional compliance requirements, closer scrutiny and further changes to how foreign workers are sponsored and brought to the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The US administration is expanding its H-1B visa fraud investigation, with the Labor Department warning that the programme could look significantly different within a year. Investigators have issued subpoenas and executed search warrants, while some visa applications involving major technology companies are under criminal investigation. New rules also increase scrutiny of employers, layoffs, wages and applications involving foreign workers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The US administration is signalling major changes to the H-1B visa programme as federal investigators expand a nationwide crackdown on alleged visa fraud, worker exploitation and other abuses. US Labor Department Inspector General Anthony D\u2019Esposito has warned that the foreign-worker visa system could look substantially different within the next year as investigations and enforcement actions […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":1314325,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[1129,37],"class_list":["post-1314312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-us","tag-visa"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nUS Govt Starts Nation-Wide Hunt For Visa Frauds: "We've Handcuffs Ready", Says Trump - Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile & Startups<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/us-govt-starts-nation-wide-hunt-for-visa-frauds-weve-handcuffs-ready-says-trump\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US Govt Starts Nation-Wide Hunt For Visa Frauds: "We've Handcuffs Ready", Says Trump - Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile & Startups\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The US administration is signalling major changes to the H-1B visa programme as federal investigators expand a nationwide crackdown on alleged visa fraud, worker exploitation and other abuses. 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