Nov 2026 bulletinEB-2 · India 01 Nov 2013 · China 01 Oct 2021 · Rest of world 01 Apr 2025PERM~10.0 months

News & policy / Scam watch

Scam watch

Scammers target people on visas because the stakes are high and the rules are confusing. Here are the red flags, where to report, and recent warnings from official sources and the news.

Red flags

  1. USCIS never asks for payment by phone, gift card, wire transfer or crypto. Government fees are paid through official forms or your USCIS online account, never to a person who calls you.
  2. No one can guarantee an H-1B, a lottery win or a green card. The H-1B lottery is random (weighted by wage level). Promises of a sure thing are a sales pitch, or worse.
  3. You should not pay to be sponsored. Employers must pay certain H-1B costs themselves, such as the training fee and, generally, attorney and filing costs for the petition. A "job" that needs you to pay for sponsorship is a red flag.
  4. A "notario" or "consultant" is not a lawyer. Only licensed attorneys and DOJ-accredited representatives can give immigration legal advice. Check an attorney with the state bar.
  5. Official emails come from .gov addresses. USCIS emails end in uscis.gov or dhs.gov. Calls "from USCIS" or "from ICE" threatening arrest unless you pay are scams.
  6. Check your case yourself. Look up case status with your receipt number on the official USCIS site, not through a link someone sends you.
  7. Don't sign blank forms or hand over your passport. Keep copies of everything you file and never let an employer or "agent" hold your passport.

Recent warnings

Auto-picked Collected automatically from Federal Trade Commission press releases and news headlines, filtered for scams aimed at visa holders and immigrants. Each item links to the original.