A former U.S. consular officer’s viral podcast alleges 80-90% fraud in 2005-07 H-1Bs. Chennai attorney Gnanamookan Senthurjothi responds, outlining the reforms that followed from the creation of the Hyderabad consulate, from stricter vetting to tougher screening and criminal action against agents and applicants.
It was a claim that could not have come at a worse time. As Indians in America and H-1B visa holders in particular are going through unprecedented scrutiny and negative imaging, an Indian American diplomat has made some damaging revelations about the widespread fraud in the H-1B visa program originating in India.
Mahvash Siddiqui served at the U.S. Consulate in Chennai during the years 2005-2007. During a recent podcast, recalling her time at the Chennai consulate, Siddiqui brought to light that a large-scale and organized fraud is happening in the system and a big chunk of H-1B visas issued to Indians were secured through dishonest means.
Speaking in her personal capacity, not as a diplomat, she alleged that 80–90% of visas issued to Indians, most of which are H-1B visas, are fraudulent and are either based on fake degrees, forged documents, or applicants who are not skilled enough to qualify.
She further said that even though as consular officers, they were able to detect the fraud, they were unable to rectify it due to political pressure. She said during the podcast, “We quickly learned about the fraud. We wrote a dissent cable to the Secretary of State, detailing the systematic fraud we were uncovering. But due to political pressure from the top, our adjudication was overturned.”
The former consular officers’ bombshell revelations can have a seismic effect on the H-1B visa program, which has, in recent times under the Trump administration, seen some of the most consequential policy changes.
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As the noise around H-1B visa allocations to Indian professionals gets even murkier, the American Bazaar spoke to prominent Chennai-based immigration attorney Gnanamookan Senthurjothi. Senthurjothi has decades of experience overseeing visa and immigration cases and breaks down what really happened between the period 2005-2007—the time the former U.S. consulate has alleged as the time of major H-1B fraud in the Chennai consulate.
Talking to the American Bazaar from Chennai, Senthurjothi says, “The fraud that has been talked about happened a long time ago. In fact, that is the reason why the Hyderabad consulate was even built—to scrutinize applicants from Hyderabad with fake documents.”
Explaining further on if visas were really doled out to undeserving candidates. He says, “The industrial-scale fraud that plagued H-1B visa applications from India during 2005-07, especially under the watch of the U.S. Consulate in Chennai, has been starkly revealed by Indian American diplomat Mahvash Siddiqui.”
Speaking on a U.S. policy podcast, Siddiqui shared her firsthand experience adjudicating over 51,000 H-1B cases when fraudulent practices were rampant, primarily from Hyderabad and Punjab applicants. These included forged degrees, proxy job interviews, fake employer letters, and other document falsifications—a ‘rogue operation’ challenged by political pressures at the time.”
He adds, “WikiLeaks cables from that period uncovered widespread fraud rings, particularly in Hyderabad’s Ameerpet area, which led to heightened vetting protocols and the establishment of a specialized Hyderabad consulate focused on fraud detection. Over the past two decades, these measures and industry sensitization have dramatically reduced the fraud rate in H-1B visa petitions to about 1%, according to Nasscom’s data.”
He also says, “This history underscores critical lessons for today’s H-1B visa applicants and employers alike: rigorous documentation, transparent hiring practices, and strong compliance standards remain vital to preserving the program’s integrity. It also serves as a reminder of the progress made since those early challenges and the importance of continued vigilance against visa fraud in maintaining trust in US consular adjudications.”
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“The legacy of those early years at the Chennai consulate shows how consistent scrutiny and collaborative efforts between US authorities and Indian stakeholders can curb visa fraud while supporting genuine talent mobility. These cables to DOS from Chennai, Mumbai, and New Delhi led to the opening of the Hyderabad consulate, especially to curtail the fraudulent practices prevalent two decades ago,” he added.
But the revelations are coming at a time of heightened bad rap around H-1B, without the clarification that the fraud that once existed has since been largely checked. On the other hand, would it not create more problems for future applicants? Senthurjothi says, “It’s nothing other than a typical Trump-like promotion to stay in the news. It’s just a recycling of old news.”
On if, at that time, any of the people involved in fraud were punished or any actions were taken against them? Senthurjothi says, “Many were given lifetime bans, some were arrested for fraud, and agents who were involved were jailed, and criminal cases were filed.” He adds, “Information was passed on to local police and state authorities, and they took criminal action against the ones who helped in fake documents and certificates.”
On the claim that some politicians may also have been involved in this, Senthurjothi says, “Well, there may have been claims, but no one would speak about it, and we won’t have any proof.”
He adds, “Unless there is new data that says otherwise, Nasscom has already dismissed the claims that the current rate of fraud is less than 1 percent, so the allegations are no longer reflective of the current H-1B landscape.”