H1B lottery system has resulted in abuse, fraud: US immigration services

PTI

Washington, April 29

The computerised drawing of lots devised to select successful H-1B applicants every year has resulted in abuse of the system and a sharp increase in fraudulent efforts, a federal agency said on Friday.

In an unusual statement, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Friday said that based on evidence from the Financial Year 2023 and Financial Year 2024 H-1B cap seasons, it has already undertaken extensive fraud investigations, denied and revoked petitions.

USCIS said it is in the process of initiating law enforcement referrals for criminal prosecution.

“The H-1B programme is an essential part of our nation's immigration system and our economy, and the USCIS is committed to implementing the law and helping meet the ever-changing needs of the US labour market,” it said.

“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,” it added.

USCIS said during the registration period for the FY 2024 H-1B cap, it saw a significant increase in the number of registrations submitted compared to prior years.

It said there were 780,884 applications for H-1B visas in this year's computer-generated lottery, against 4,83,927 in 2023 and 3,01,447 in 2022 and 2,74,237 in 2021. 

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