The United States Embassy in India has announced the cancellation of about 2,000 fraudulent visa appointments.
The decision comes in a bid to tackle fraud in the visa application process, VisaGuide.World reports.
Consular Team India identified bad actors who made about 2,000 visa appointments that violated our scheduling policies,” the embassy said in a notice shared on X on Wednesday, March 27.
The Embassy emphasized that it will continue its fight against agents and fixers that go against scheduling policies.
Effective immediately, we are canceling these appointments and suspending the associated accounts’ scheduling privileges. We will continue our anti-fraud efforts and have zero tolerance for agents and fixers that violate our scheduling policies.
According to a report from Business Standard, the announcement of the embassy comes following a case registered on February 27, in which more than 30 people from Punjab, Haryana, and other states submitted fake documents in order to obtain US visas between May and August 2024.
The accused include visa agents and applicants, while investigators allege they worked together in order to forge documents, including bank statements and employment records, according to a report from the FIR. The same notes that the US authorities flagged a total of 21 applications that involve false claims.
According to the Embassy its investigation used IP address data in order to identify consultants and vendors connected to suspicious requests.
The US Embassy considered the case a serious security matter that affects the United States and India. The Embassy also called on the Indian authorities to proceed quickly with the investigation.
Tightened Measures for H-1B Visa Program
Indians are among the top beneficiaries of the US H-1B temporary work visa program.
In January this year, the US government announced new changes to this scheme. The government announced that these changes were taken in a bid to address the concerns of employers and workers.
Among the changes announced include streamlined processes, additional measures to enhance transparency, and clarified eligibility criteria.
Applications for this program are opened every year in spring. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) approves a total of 65,000 petitions each year from October 1, until September 30 of the next year.
Besides, an additional 20,000 H-1B visas are dedicated to nationals holding advanced degrees from the United States Institutions.