Indian-origin American diplomat Mahvash Siddiqui has called on the United States to immediately suspend the H-1B visa programme until a comprehensive audit of the system is completed, alleging widespread abuse, fraud, and bribery within the process. Writing for the anti-immigration think tank Center for Immigration Studies, Siddiqui claimed that the programme has been systematically exploited, particularly by unqualified applicants from India, turning what was meant to be a skilled-worker visa into what she described as an informal and unfair immigration shortcut.
Drawing on her experience as a junior visa officer at the US Consulate in Chennai, Siddiqui alleged that a large proportion of Indian nationals between the ages of 20 and 45 were using the H-1B visa as a loophole to gain entry into the United States by presenting fraudulent or exaggerated credentials. She argued that this practice has resulted in the displacement of qualified American workers in the IT and STEM sectors, many of whom have undergone more rigorous academic and professional training.
In her account, Siddiqui wrote that numerous H-1B applicants who claimed to hold degrees in computer science lacked even basic coursework or practical programming skills. She alleged that many of these applicants routinely failed elementary coding tests, raising serious questions about the legitimacy of their qualifications. According to her, corrupt human resources officials in both India and the United States played a key role in enabling these practices by issuing fake employment letters and facilitating the approval of applications that should have failed scrutiny.
Siddiqui further claimed that the problem extends beyond the technology sector. She alleged that some Indian medical graduates, who gained admission to medical schools through affirmative action policies or bribery, later entered US residency programmes using J-1 visas. According to her, these individuals eventually went on to practise medicine in the United States despite possessing skill levels she described as inferior to those of American-trained doctors.
She also argued that a so-called “halo effect” often shields Indian applicants from deeper scrutiny, aided by what she described as the social normalization of fraud within certain peer groups. In the US workplace, Siddiqui alleged that some Indian managers have established closed hiring networks that systematically favour applicants from their own background, exclude American workers, protect underqualified hires, and discourage whistleblowing. As a consequence, she claimed that better-qualified American IT graduates are frequently sidelined, replaced by less qualified H-1B workers, or even compelled to train their replacements for lower wages.
In earlier public remarks, including a podcast appearance, Siddiqui said she was one of 15 junior visa officers posted in Chennai, a location she now characterizes as the global epicentre of H-1B visa fraud. She noted that between 2005 and 2007, the Chennai consulate processed approximately 100,000 H-1B applications each year. According to her claims, that number has since ballooned dramatically, reaching more than four million applications annually.
She also alleged the existence of a highly organized and industrial-scale fraud ecosystem supporting the visa pipeline. In her writing, she cited areas such as Ameerpet in Hyderabad, claiming that entire markets openly sold fake academic degrees, forged bank statements, and counterfeit marriage and birth certificates specifically designed to support fraudulent visa applications.
Siddiqui further accused Indian lobby groups and Silicon Valley executives of orchestrating a disinformation campaign that portrays American workers as less capable or insufficiently skilled. She claimed that US lawmakers are often unaware of the on-ground realities of the programme and have been consistently misled about its true impact on the domestic workforce.
Although the H-1B visa programme is officially intended to attract skilled professionals from a wide range of countries, Siddiqui argued that it has effectively become dominated by applicants from a single nation, undermining both its original purpose and public trust in the system.
As part of her proposed reforms, Siddiqui recommended an immediate halt to all new H-1B visa issuances until a full audit is conducted. She also called for stricter verification of academic qualifications and job histories, prioritization of US-trained STEM graduates in fields where domestic talent is sufficient, bans on nepotistic and chain-hiring practices, tougher penalties for fraud, and a significant expansion of workplace site inspections to better reflect the scale and risk associated with the programme.
