10,000 foreign students, including Indians, probed for OPT fraud

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said it has identified 10,000 foreign students, including several from India, who claim to be working for highly suspect employers by misusing the Optional Practical Training (OPT) component of their visas.

OPT allows foreign nationals who enter the United States on a student visa to work in the US for 12, or in some cases 24, months. It also allows students to transition to an H-1B visa sponsored by employers.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, acting Director of ICE Todd Lyons said the OPT component of the student visa programme has “become a magnet for fraud” and has been the subject of many investigations by the Department of Homeland Security.

“We’ve encountered cases involving espionage, biological threats, intellectual property theft, visa and employment fraud, and even scams targeting elderly Americans, all perpetrated by individuals abusing their status as students,” Lyons said.

“Our nation will not tolerate security threats originating from the foreign student programme,” Lyons said.