US work visa scam unearthed by Brazilian police
by Mary Jones - December 11, 2009
Sao Paulo, December 11: In a significant breakthrough, Brazilian police cracked the network of fraudsters involved in pocketing nearly $50 million for aspiring US work visa applicants. This was revealed by Brazilian and US officials in Sao Paulo this Monday.
As many as eleven people formed part of this international ring that were taken into custody in Brazil, the prosecutors of Sao Paulo state maintained.
These fraudsters used to charge a whopping $15,000 from each aspirant seeking H-2B temporary US work visa. The international ring was planned way back in 2003 and the fraudulent documentation work had come to the notice of the immigration officials of United States.
As a result, the investigation involving the US consulate and the Brazilian authorities named ‘Operation Anarchy’ was launched. Meanwhile, a US taskforce has been set up to get details about the scam.
As part of the Operation Anarchy, a US taskforce is examining the details of various US visa applications. The Brazilian fiscal authorities, on the other hand, are probing the computers of the international gang to know the scale of this fraud.
It has been found that nearly 4,500 Brazilians were lured over a period of last seven years to shell out the money for getting H-2B visa for US.
Although, US work visa scams were also reported from other countries too, including UAE (United Arab Emirates), the Philippines, Russia , Romania, Dominica and Dominican Republic, but, the police is yet to take any action in any of the named countries in this regard.
As per the US State Department, the H-2B visa is meant for seasonal or temporary nonagricultural workers. At present, nearly 66,000 temporary US work visas are available for those who seek to work in US for a maximum period of three years. However, an approval from the US Secretary of Labor is required by the applicant.
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