More Enterprising Immigrants
On November 16, the Los Angeles
Daily News reported (Valley
Four Accused of Visa Fraud, by Troy Anderson)
that four prominent Iranians—three business people and
one attorney—were arrested on charges of filing bogus
employment visa applications on behalf of hundreds
of Iranian nationals.
The defendants were paid from
$8,000 to $30,000 per visa for their services.
One man received a visa to come to
the U.S. to work in a pizza parlor even though he
acknowledged that he had never worked in a restaurant
and knew nothing about the food service industry.
According to U.S. Customs and
Immigration Enforcement, only 13% of those who received
visas actually went to work for the petitioning
employers.
I.C.E. described the scam as one of
the largest ever in Southern California.


