ICE conducts visits to employers in Northern Virginia to ensure legal compliance when hiring foreign student workers

WASHINGTON, D.C. - ICE's Homeland Security Investigations directorate has recently conducted site visits to investigate fraud by employers in Northern Virginia that hire F-1 foreign students. ICE officials discovered evidence of noncompliance and potential fraud, including evidence of nonfunctional or staged worksites and supervisors who lacked knowledge of laws and regulations related to employing foreign students while visiting local IT services companies.

In one instance, ICE investigated an employer after discovering its reported place of business was a home in the Virginia suburbs that supposedly employs dozens of foreign students via the Optional Practical Training program.

"ICE remains steadfast in its commitment to upholding the integrity of the Student and Exchange Visitor Program and ensuring that foreign students, educational institutions and employers participating in the program adhere to U.S. laws and regulations," said acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons. "Individuals who seek to exploit the immigration system have no place within this program. ICE will take decisive action to hold bad actors accountable and will intensify investigations to mitigate fraud and address security risks associated with the Optional Practical Training programs."

Site visits allow ICE to ensure compliance with OPT regulations, which allow foreign students to work in the United States for a period of years. Since its inception, the OPT program has prompted a variety of concerns from Congress, national security officials, watchdog agencies and trade organizations, including fraud and the displacement of American workers by foreign nationals.