Fraud is the Goal

I am referring, of course to the H1-B program, whose real goal is to lower the wages and power of domestic workers.  Phony recruiting and low wages are a part and parcel of the whole program.

Now it appears that the fraud is becoming even more blatant:

H-1B visa fraud is rampant and growing, and the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has yet to demonstrate that it can deal with the situation.

"The H-1B program applies to employers seeking to hire nonimmigrant aliens as workers in specialty occupations or as fashion models of distinguished merit and ability," the US Department of Labor explains. "A specialty occupation is one that requires the application of a body of highly specialized knowledge and the attainment of at least a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent."

Technology companies rely on the program to bring foreign workers into America, ostensibly to fill positions for which US-based workers cannot be found. The firms that sponsor and import H-1B workers may also appreciate being able to hire people at below-market wages as well as the barriers that make it difficult for H-1B workers to change jobs or unionize. That said, the visa is attractive to foreign techies as it gives them a route to eventual permanent residency and citizenship, if they choose to go down that road.

Most importantly, over the past two years at least, interest in the program has outpaced Uncle Sam's ability to police it.

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Would-be workers are not supposed to register multiple times and the USCIS has interpreted these figures to suggest there's been a surge in fraud.

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A member of the Indian community in the US who asked not to be identified contacted The Register to confirm that H1-B fraud is on the rise. He said he sees members of his community involved in deceptive practices and is concerned because abuse harms those who play by the rules.

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Our source provided us with a list of 25 companies in various US states that he claimed were abusing the lottery system as well as screenshots of H-1B discussions in public and private Facebook groups where both legitimate and unlawful approaches get discussed.

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Our source said these consultancy companies are largely run by Indian-born CEOs.

There is an entire industry of H1B fraud masquerading as consultancy in South Asia.  this is not a surprise.

The solution is remarkably simple though, as opposed to setting a fee to apply for an H1-B Visa, auction the off the applications.

This will filter out the bottom feeders, because it will be too expensive for them to make a profit.

The companies that really need specific highly skilled people will be willing to drop the 10 or 20 grand to get them in the office.  The companies that are looking for cheap workers won't.