US to probe J-1 student visa fraud in 9 top universities; Harvard Yale, MIT on the list

US Labor Department targets J-1 visa fraud at nine top universities, issuing subpoenas and launching a crackdown, with JD Vance backing the probe.

The United States on Thursday announced that the US Department of Labor will start a crackdown on foreign students on J-1 student visas at nine top US universities as part of a country-wide crackdown on alleged visa fraud.

This illustration picture shows a US visa in a passport in Mexico City on August 25, 2026. The US government plans to revoke the visas of foreigners who came to the country for tourism or business but sought to stay longer by applying for asylum, the State Department said on August 25. (AFP)

A J-1 student visa allows foreign students, researchers, and exchange visitors at universities to temporarily study or work in US.

In a fiery press conference flanked by US Vice President JD Vance, US Department of Labor Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito named Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Brown, the University of Pittsburgh, UC Davis, Caltech, Arizona State, and MIT as the alleged hotspots of student visa fraud.

Vance accused these universities of using the J-1 visa program to "undercut the wages of American grad students and American researchers," adding "it simply has to stop."

D’Esposito threatened foreign students on J-1 visas saying that "nobody will be getting a free pass because their name is carved into an expensive building.” He added that subpoenas have already been served to these universities and probe is underway.

The New York Post reports that the US Labor Department is also establishing a visa fraud strike team as part of the subpoenas served. The details of the task force are unclear.

Anthony D'Esposito, especially, came out strong on the universities over the alleged visa fraud. "I will personally cut you in the university square," he said.

"I spent a career as a NYPD detective. I did not back down then, and I sure as hell will not back down now," he continued. "I don't care how prestigious a university thinks it is!" "I don't care how large your endowment is, how powerful your alumni are, or how many politicians you have on speed dial."

The latest available number from the US Department of State on J-1 visa holders in the country is from 2024. It states that there were 300,904 J-1 exchange visitors at US universities. D'Esposito said they formed the 60% of US universities' strength.

The announcement of an investigation into the alleged visa fraud at US universities was made as part of a larger crackdown on visa fraud in the US. Separately, several top tech companies with a significant foreign workforce on H-1B visas at their US offices have also been targeted.

Microsoft Targeted, Several Indian Companies On The List

The biggest name on the tech companies facing the wrath of the Trump's administration's immigration crackdown is Microsoft. JD Vance announced that the Department of Labor is temporarily blocking Microsoft from applying for green cards for its foreign workers via U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' (USCIS) EB-2 and EB-3 programs.

“Our message to Microsoft is: You're a great American company, but you've got to hire great American workers,” Vance said. “If you do the math, for every worker that Microsoft laid off, they replaced that worker with one and a half foreign indentured servants.”

Additionally, US Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said that the Permanent Labor Certificates of the following companies will be suspended. Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp., Infosys Ltd., Tata, Wipro Ltd., HCL Technologies Ltd., and Capgemini SE.