US adopts "fraud" prevention in H-1B visa programmes

I / Washington May 8, 2009, 16:41 IST

Acting on complaints of alleged "outrageous abuses" by Indian firms of the popular H-1B visa programmes, the US has adopted "fraud prevention tactics" to prevent misuse of the scheme that mostly benefits highly- skilled professional from India. 

"We've added fraud prevention tactics. We've begun looking at other more standard fraud investigatory techniques that weren't being use in H-1B that we are now going to employ, include things like sites visits and worksites visits," Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said.   

"Our top obligations are to American workers, making sure American workers have jobs. From an enforcement standpoint, my priority is to make sure that there's not fraud occurring within the H-1B programme at all," she said at a Congressional hearing on Wednesday. The H-1B work visas for highly skilled professionals have been most beneficial from IT sector professionals from India. 

Both the Congress and the Government has recently taken several steps which restrict hiring of foreign workers under H-1B visa programme. Testifying before the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Napolitano said over the last month, the Department has added some tools to rigorously enforce H-1B visa programme and prevent fraud.