Texas journalist Sara Gonzales posted a YouTube video claiming a major exposé of the H-1B scam going on in Texas as she visited the listed addresses of a company H-1B visa holders only to find no offices. The video went viral amid the anti-H-1B rhetoric but many pointed out that there is no evidence of any scam as Apple too started in a garage.Gonzales went to the listed address of a company named Qubitz Tech Sysystems [sic] LLC, which had 12 H-1B nemeficiaries approved last year. Hari Madiraju was the visa job contact person. In her video, Gonzales tracked down Hari who came out of his residential property and when he was asked about H-1B workers he hired, Hari called the police. “Somebody is knocking on my door and then they are like threatening me. … Please, can you help me?” Hari told the 911 operator, while Gonsalez assured that no one was threatening him. Gonzales then went to office address that Hari suggested and found small rooms, which she thought were not proper working conditions for H-1B workers. H-1B visa program allows US companies to hire from foreign countries only for specialty occupations for which local talent may not be available or adequate. Gonzales then went to another company named 3Bees Technologies Inc that had 27 H-1B beneficiaries approved in 2022. The director, presidenyt and agent of the company was listed as Vamsi Krishna Vajinapally. Gonzales found an under-construction building with no employees. As the video went viral, calls were made to stop H-1B and deport all H-1Bs. But some pointed out that nothing illegal could be proved by the video, as not having a flashy office is not a crime. “Honestly, this is a slam-dunk defamation case. If this person wants to make real money, he should seriously consider suing you,” one wrote, referring to Hari Madiraju, who called the police. Indian-American Advocacy Council co-founder Sidharth called out the Nick Shirley-like investigation and said H-1B bodyshops are perfectly legal. H-1B bodyshops are those companies that hire H-1B workers for third-party companies. They are legal as long as they follow all the H-1B rules.
