Former US Congressman and economist Dr Dave Brat has accused India of overwhelming the H-1B visa system, claiming that a single Indian region received nearly three times the annual national cap.
Speaking on Steve Bannon’s podcast, Brat said that while the H-1B cap is 85,000 a year, one district in India alone secured 220,000 H-1B visas, calling it evidence of large-scale abuse.
“When you hear H-1B, think of your family; because these fraudulent visas just stole their future,” Brat said, adding that China accounts for only 12% of H-1B recipients compared to India's massive share.
In 2024, the US Consulate in Chennai reportedly processed 220,000 H-1B visas and 140,000 H-4 dependent visas, making it one of the busiest visa posts in the world.
Brat’s comments echo claims made by Indian-origin US diplomat Mahvash Siddiqui, who recently alleged “industrial-scale fraud” in the H-1B programme.
Siddiqui served as a consular officer in Chennai between 2005 and 2007 and said she personally adjudicated over 51,000 H-1B visas.
According to Siddiqui, 80–90% of H-1B applications from India were fraudulent; involving fake degrees, forged documents, or applicants who were not genuinely qualified for specialty-occupation roles.
She said the Chennai consulate handled cases from Hyderabad, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, but Hyderabad was the “most concerning,” pointing specifically to Ameerpet, where shops allegedly sold everything from fake educational certificates to fabricated marriage documents.
Siddiqui claimed she and her team identified the pattern early and reported it up the chain, but alleged that “political pressure” shut down their efforts.
Their anti-fraud initiative, she said, was dismissed as a “rogue operation,” and influential politicians were allegedly involved in suppressing the investigation.
Both Brat’s and Siddiqui’s statements have reignited a heated debate in the US about the integrity of the H-1B system; and India’s outsized role in it.
DR. DAVE BRAT: 71% of H-1B visas come from India. The national cap is 85,000, yet one Indian district got 220,000! That's 2.5x the limit!
— Bannon’s WarRoom (@Bannons_WarRoom) November 24, 2025
When you hear H-1B, think of your family, because these fraudulent visas just stole their future.@brateconomics pic.twitter.com/8O1v8qVJPe
