WASHINGTON — A federal visa program allowing international students to work at firms in the United States after graduation appears to have been exploited by fake companies providing false employment verifications, according to an NBC News/NBC Bay Area investigation.
The F-1 visa program includes a component that allows students to stay in the U.S. to get practical work experience after obtaining their professional degrees. Many students, schools and employers use the program legitimately, as intended. But a recent federal prosecution revealed the potential for fraud, with a defendant admitting in court papers she had provided false employment records for nearly 2,700 students.