Nine US universities, including Harvard, Yale and Stanford, are under investigation for potential fraud involving the J-1 exchange visitor visa program, the US Department of Labor’s inspector general Anthony D’Esposito has said, warning that more investigations could follow.
“Nine universities under investigation for potential J-1 visa fraud—more to come,” D’Esposito wrote in a post on X under the hashtag #FraudFriday. He said companies had been suspended, warrants executed and subpoenas issued as part of the wider enforcement drive.
The Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General announced the university investigations on October 9, confirming that subpoenas had been served on all nine institutions.
{{/usCountry}}The Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General announced the university investigations on October 9, confirming that subpoenas had been served on all nine institutions.
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The universities named are the University of Pittsburgh, Yale University, Harvard University, Stanford University, Brown University, the University of California, Davis, the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Arizona State University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
The investigations are examining potential misuse of the J-1 program. Being investigated does not establish that a university has committed wrongdoing.
What is the J-1 visa program?
The J-1 visa allows foreign nationals to enter the US temporarily to participate in designated exchange visitor programs, including research, teaching, internships, training and other educational or cultural exchanges.
According to the Labor Department inspector general’s office, the nine universities collectively receive billions of dollars in federally supported research funding. The office said approximately 61% of postdoctoral workers and researchers supported by federal grants at these institutions are foreign nationals, compared with 38% at other universities.
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Investigators are examining whether J-1 classifications were improperly used to avoid employment obligations, exploit taxpayer-funded programs or disadvantage American workers. Officials have not publicly detailed the specific allegations against each institution or announced findings of wrongdoing.
H-1B investigations continue alongside university probe
D’Esposito also said investigations into H-1B visas and companies suspected of taking advantage of American workers were continuing.
The H-1B program allows US employers to hire foreign professionals for specialized occupations and is widely used by technology companies and other businesses.
The university investigation was announced as part of the Trump administration’s wider effort to investigate suspected fraud. Vice President JD Vance, Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling and other officials are also a part of broader enforcement initiative.
D’Esposito said the department’s efforts had involved company suspensions, warrants and subpoenas but did not provide a breakdown of those actions in his latest post. He did not specify when further details about the university investigations would be released.
His warning that more J-1 investigations could follow signals that scrutiny of universities and employers is continuing, although no additional institutions have been formally identified in the statement.