(TEXAS) — Texas journalist and whistleblower Sara Gonzales published an undercover exposé in January 2026 alleging recruiters use deceptive job offers to extract money from international students seeking U.S. work authorization and eventual H-1B sponsorship.
Gonzales’ video report described a cross-border funnel that targets F-1 visa students pursuing Optional Practical Training, including those trying to extend STEM OPT or transition into H-1B employment. The recruiters, Gonzales alleged, sometimes operate from India while pitching U.S.-based jobs and visa support.
Her report landed as federal agencies and Texas leaders publicly warned about exploitation in the H-1B system, including schemes built on paperwork rather than real employment. That scrutiny matters for students, because OPT and H-1B pathways require a bona fide U.S. employer, real job duties, and real wages.
Recruiters featured in Gonzales’ report allegedly posted contact information on social media platforms and promised jobs and visa support to international students on F-1 visas. The pitches focused on students who needed qualifying employment for OPT or a future H-1B petition.
Gonzales’ reporting described recruiters demanding upfront payments—typically around $1,000—in exchange for an offer letter that purports to help the student qualify for OPT work authorization or future H-1B sponsorship. In some instances, the report said, letters and placements came without a resume review or meaningful vetting.
The alleged extraction did not always stop after the offer letter. Gonzales reported that recruiters then worked remotely from India and may also seek to take a percentage of the student’s salary once employed.
The exposé also framed the approach as an advance-fee employment scheme that resembles broader job and immigration scams. In those scams, fraudsters promise work permits or visas in exchange for money but do not deliver legitimate services.
For students, the risks go beyond losing money. U.S. rules governing OPT and H-1B status hinge on genuine employment arrangements, including a real employer-employee relationship and truthful filings that match actual duties and work arrangements.
Federal authorities have described the consequences of non-genuine employment arrangements in stark terms for F-1 students. Those consequences include immediate SEVIS termination and “unlawful presence” that triggers 3- or 10-year re-entry bans, as well as permanent ineligibility for future immigration benefits like Green Cards.
Financial harm can compound immigration exposure. Gonzales’ report described upfront payments and ongoing salary deductions that leave students out of pocket, while also placing them in arrangements that may draw compliance scrutiny.
Career damage can follow, too. The report warned that engagement with illegitimate recruiters can harm future visa or employment prospects, even when students believe they are purchasing routine placement assistance.
Students interviewed in the broader discussion of these scams have pointed to recurring red flags. Those warning signs include required advance payments for job offers or employment letters, guaranteed placement with minimal interview or vetting, and recruiter outreach conducted through personal phone numbers or unverified social media contacts.
Other red flags described include inconsistent company details and overly flexible remote work that appears inconsistent with U.S. labor requirements. Gonzales’ report contrasted those offers with standard hiring practices, where employers issue offer letters tied to real job descriptions and typically do not charge job seekers fees related to visas or sponsorship.
When students suspect a scam, the guidance in the materials surrounding Gonzales’ exposé urged them to start with campus resources. Students can consult their university’s international student office for verification and contact an immigration attorney or authorized advisor for individualized advice.
The same guidance pointed students to federal reporting channels, including the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement tip form and Department of Homeland Security fraud reporting portals. DHS also maintains resources for international students through its Study in the States platform.
Public statements from federal agencies have tied the scam narratives to broader integrity concerns around H-1B filings and the selection system. On December 23, 2025, USCIS spokesman Matthew Tragesser said the previous random selection process for H-1B visas was being “exploited and abused by U.S. employers who were primarily seeking to import foreign workers at lower wages.”
Tragesser said USCIS was implementing “regulatory changes. to help American businesses without allowing the abuse that was harming American workers.” USCIS also directs the public to its newsroom for updates and general alerts and maintains a common scams warning page.
DHS also expanded screening rules as part of its fraud detection posture. A DHS social media screening rule effective December 15, 2025 expanded mandatory social media screening for H-1B and H-4 applicants—previously mandatory only for F and J students—to verify identity and detect fraud.
In the explanation summarized alongside the rule, USCIS warned that job duties and employer locations listed on platforms like LinkedIn must match official filings. The change widened the set of applicants subject to mandatory checks tied to identity and consistency, a theme that runs through investigations of job-offer scams.
Texas officials responded directly after Gonzales’ report went viral. On January 27, 2026, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered all state agencies and public universities to “immediately freeze” new H-1B visa petitions.
In a formal letter to agency heads, Abbott cited “recent reports of abuse in the federal H-1B visa program” and said, “State government must lead by example and ensure that employment opportunities. are filled by Texans first.”
USCIS, for its part, pointed to enforcement actions tied to recent fraud investigations. In its annual data release on February 26, 2026, USCIS said evidence from FY 2023–2025 led to denials and revocations of numerous petitions.
“We have undertaken extensive fraud investigations, denied and revoked petitions accordingly, and continue to make law enforcement referrals for criminal prosecution,” the agency said.
Authorities and investigators have described a familiar set of mechanics behind fraud schemes that intersect with OPT and H-1B. In accounts tied to USCIS scam warnings and investigative descriptions, recruiters—often operating from “body shops” or consulting firms, some based in India—post job ads on social media aimed at STEM OPT students seeking eventual H-1B sponsorship.
The alleged pitch relies on payment-for-paperwork dynamics. Investigative descriptions cited “processing fees” or “commitment fees”—often cited at approximately $1,000—in exchange for a fake offer letter that purports to qualify the student for OPT work authorization.
Homeland Security Investigations and USCIS Fraud Detection units have also identified “staged” or non-functional worksites, including residential homes and virtual offices, that appear designed to place dozens of workers on paper. Investigators have described workers as “benched” without pay or farmed out to other firms, a pattern that can put the credibility of duties, wages, and worksite claims at the center of an immigration review.
Federal officials have tied these investigations to scale concerns in the registration system. In previous cycles, USCIS estimated that nearly 400,000 registrations were fraudulent multiple entries, a figure cited as part of the agency’s push for integrity measures.
USCIS introduced a “beneficiary-centric” selection process to combat multiple registrations tied to the same individual. The agency also increased the registration fee from $10 to $215, framing the change as a deterrent to speculative shell filings.
Enforcement activity has also touched Texas in other immigration-fraud investigations. On June 17, 2025, USCIS assisted in a federal investigation in the Northern District of Texas that led to the indictment of two residents for a large-scale scheme involving fraudulent EB-2, EB-3, and H-1B applications.
The agency also publishes information on employers and filings through its H-1B Employer Data Hub, a dataset that has drawn attention as policymakers and employers debate integrity and labor-market effects.
For students and employers, the immediate effect of the scrutiny described in these official statements and enforcement summaries is a higher expectation of consistency and credibility. OPT and H-1B filings must align with real supervision, real duties, and truthful worksite and wage information, while online profiles and other records can draw closer attention under expanded screening.
At the policy level, the enforcement discussion has also coincided with a shift toward “Weighted Selection,” described in the materials as a direction in which USCIS prioritizes H-1B visas for higher-paid and higher-skilled workers to prevent low-wage “labor pipelines” used by body shops. For students chasing a legitimate path from OPT to an H-1B, the message echoed across the federal and Texas statements is that paper promises and paid offer letters carry immigration, financial, and career risks that can last far beyond one filing cycle.
Texas Whistleblower Exposes H-1B Visa Scam Targeting F-1 Students
Journalist Sara Gonzales’ undercover report revealed a sophisticated scam where recruiters charge international students for fake job offers to exploit the OPT and H-1B systems. This exposure has triggered a massive federal and state crackdown. Authorities warn students that participating in these schemes—even unknowingly—can lead to immediate deportation, permanent re-entry bans, and significant financial loss, while Texas has frozen state-level H-1B petitions in response.
