An Indian techie with 12 years of experience recently got the good news of getting picked in the 2025 H-1B lottery through a consultancy. But his sponsor’s shady demand soon raised doubts in their mind about a possible fraud.
The consultancy is now asking for $6,000 upfront for visa fees. Additionally, if the visa is approved, the techie must travel to the US, expected to hunt for work while giving 20% of their salary to the consultancy for a whole year.
This is not just risky, but it is a scam. In the US job market, employers pay H-1B visa fees, not workers. Any consultancy demanding thousands upfront is likely running an illegal scheme.
There is no guarantee of a job or even visa approval in these deals. USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) is cracking down hard on such consultancies because they exploit hopeful workers, especially Indians dreaming of settling in the US.
This “lottery win” is a likely trap. Many such consultancies are blacklisted or under investigation. The techie, with a secured job in India, rightfully doubted their H-1B visa pick and is now reconsidering his options.
