The United States State Department has disclosed four visa fraud schemes operating across the Caribbean, South America and East Africa, saying fraudsters used sham staffing firms, forged documents and fake student records to try to cheat the US visa system. The department set out the cases in posts on its official X account on Monday, 9 November 2026.

"Fraudsters use sham staffing firms, forged documents, and fake student records to try to cheat the U.S. visa system," the department said, adding that under President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio it was exposing the schemes, revoking fraudulent visas and protecting the country from exploitation.

Sham staffing firms in the Caribbean

In the first case, petitioners in an unnamed Caribbean country posed as staffing companies and used unregistered agents to recruit foreign workers, charging thousands of dollars in illegal fees. The workers were then placed in unauthorised jobs under exploitative conditions through falsified employment contracts, according to the department.

Federal officials said the scheme drove regional visa overstay rates up by more than four times. The US embassy in the country flagged dozens of petitions involving hundreds of workers and began joint criminal investigations.

Fake records for study and exchange programmes

A second operation targeted educational and cultural exchange programmes. A recruitment syndicate secured US exchange placements for unqualified candidates using fabricated academic transcripts and false claims about student enrolment status.

Consular authorities strengthened screening in response, identifying 30 additional fraudulent syndicates and resulting in 250 visa rejections, the department said.

Forged criminal records in South America

In a third case, immigrant visa applicants in an undisclosed South American country used fraudulent police, judicial and penal certificates to hide their criminal histories. The department said the applicants exploited gaps in their home country's document security systems.

The local US embassy moved to fully digital credential verification, and a joint investigation with municipal law enforcement resulted in dozens of visa denials and more than 15 arrests.

False nationality claims in East Africa

The fourth scheme involved networks in East Africa that helped their nationals, some of whom posed potential security concerns, falsely claim another country's nationality using bogus documents produced by corrupt fixers. The department did not name the countries involved in any of the four cases.

Officials urged the public to report suspected fraud through an online tip portal launched on 23 September. The department said visa fraud also included fabricated travel histories, broker-arranged fraudulent marriages, shell corporations, fictitious job offers and birth tourism, and that it would continue to hold offenders accountable through visa revocations and criminal referrals.

The disclosure came after the State Department announced on 31 October that more than 300,000 visas had been revoked since January 2025 under Secretary Rubio, citing criminal activity, public safety concerns, immigration violations, fraud or misrepresentation.