H-1B Fraud Crackdown: Is It About Middlemen?

The Trump administration’s crackdown on alleged H-1B visa fraud has moved to the next level (beyond paperwork), with US investigators conducting on-ground inspections in Texas and finding a major gap between visa approvals and actual business activity.

In a video interview with a local channel during a field inspection in Texas, US Department of Labor Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito said investigators were checking offices linked to H-1B applications.

According to D’Esposito, more than 500 approved H-1B applications were linked to offices in a single two-storey building. However, several offices appeared empty when investigators visited the location.

“We have been knocking on the doors,” D’Esposito said, adding that investigators received few responses and found offices with closed doors and lights off.

The findings have raised questions about whether the companies linked to the H-1B applications were actually operating at the addresses listed in their applications.

Empty Offices Raise Questions

The Texas inspections are part of a wider US Department of Labor investigation into alleged fraud and abuse in the H-1B and PERM visa programmes. Investigators are following several leads and have issued subpoenas.

The probe is looking into fake visa applications, exploitation of foreign workers, wage kickbacks and possible labour trafficking. Officials are also examining whether people selling jobs and collecting kickbacks have links to gangs or international criminal groups.

D’Esposito said the investigation is focused on companies and middlemen allegedly abusing the system, not migrant workers, who may themselves be victims.

Launched in July, the probe is part of the Trump administration’s wider crackdown on employment visa fraud. The Texas inspection has raised questions about whether the companies linked to more than 500 approved H-1B applications were genuine businesses and whether the jobs listed in the applications were legitimate.