US economist flags ‘H-1B fraud’, says Chennai got 2.5 times the national visa cap

Former US Representative and economist Dr Dave Brat has alleged widespread fraud within the H-1B visa system, claiming in a podcast that India’s Chennai district (Tamil Nadu) secured more than twice the total number of visas legally permitted nationwide.

Also Read: White House defends Trump’s H-1B visa stand as ‘nuanced’ amid backlash

Brat’s comments have renewed scrutiny of the programme at a time when the Trump administration is escalating its clampdown on H-1B visas.

'Chennai received 220,000 H-1B visas'

Speaking on the podcast, Brat said the H-1B system had been "captured by industrial-scale fraud", asserting that visa allocations from India were surpassing the statutory limits.

"Seventy-one per cent of H-1B visas come from India, and only 12 per cent from China. That tells you something is going on right there," he said.

"There is a cap of only 85,000 H-1B visas, yet somehow one district in India, the Madras (Chennai) district, received 220,000. That is two-and-a-half times the cap set by Congress. So that is the scam," he added.

'Unskilled migrants take away American jobs'

Brat went on to link the issue with the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement’s anti-immigration stance, framing it as a threat to American workers.

"When I say H-1B visa, you need to think of your cousins, your aunts and uncles, and your grandparents. One of these folks comes over and claims they are skilled; they are not. That is the fraud. They have just taken away your family’s job, your mortgage, and your house, and all that," he said.

Also Read: 'Train Americans, then go home': Scott Bessent explains Trump's new H-1B policy

His remarks come amid a broadened crackdown on immigration in the United States under the Donald Trump administration. Since taking office, Trump has issued multiple executive orders and decisions aimed at curbing immigration.

According to reports, the US Consulate in Chennai processed approximately 220,000 H-1B visas and a further 140,000 H-4 dependent visas in 2024.

The consulate handles applications from four major, high-footfall regions, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana, making it one of the busiest H-1B processing hubs globally.

Widespread H-1B fraud in India

Brat’s comments were made just days after an Indian-American diplomat alleged that H-1B visa applications in India were plagued by “industrial-scale” fraud.

Mahvash Siddiqui, who served at the Chennai consulate between 2005 and 2007, said that in 2024 alone, US officials adjudicated thousands of non-immigrant visas. In an interview, Siddiqui described the H-1B system as beset by forged documents, fabricated qualifications and proxy applicants.

She further claimed that 80-90 per cent of the H-1B visas issued to Indians were fraudulent, based on fake employer letters, forged degrees or proxy interviews for candidates who were not genuinely highly skilled, as stated.

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She also alleged that certain establishments in Hyderabad openly coached visa applicants and provided fake employment letters, educational certificates and even marriage documents.