NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Atlanta, GA, October 6, 2026 — U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick is asking the Trump administration to focus federal investigative and enforcement resources on suspected H-1B visa fraud in and around Georgia’s 7th Congressional District, describing the northern Atlanta metropolitan area as a possible “hotspot” for abuse of the employment-based visa program.
The 7th Congressional District covers much of Forsyth County and portions of northern Fulton County, including communities in the Cumming, Alpharetta, Johns Creek and Milton areas.
In an Oct. 6 letter to Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, McCormick said reports from constituents, discussions with stakeholders and recent federal enforcement activity have raised concerns about what he described as concentrated H-1B fraud and abuse in the region.
“Georgia’s 7th Congressional District (GA-07), which I represent and includes a large portion of the northern Atlanta metropolitan region, is a suspected hotspot of this fraud,” McCormick wrote, asking federal agencies to pursue allegations in the area.
McCormick, a Republican, represents a district with a significant concentration of technology, health care, engineering and other skilled workers.
The H-1B program allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. In his letter, McCormick argued that some employers and other entities are manipulating the program to obtain workers at below-market wages and, in some cases, subjecting visa holders to exploitative working conditions because their immigration status can be tied to continued employment. h-1b-visa-fraud-investigation-l…
He also alleged that abuse of the program can suppress wages and increase competition for American job seekers, particularly recent college graduates. The letter, however, does not identify specific companies, staffing firms or individuals in metro Atlanta accused of wrongdoing, nor does it provide figures estimating the scale of suspected fraud in the district.
In a statement accompanying the letter, McCormick said immigration enforcement should apply to abuses of legal immigration programs as well as illegal immigration.
“In America, we don’t tolerate illegal immigrants unlawfully crossing our border, and we shouldn’t tolerate bad actors who profit from manipulating and abusing our legal immigration system, particularly through programs like the H-1B visa,” he said.
“This fraud hurts American workers and American wages, erodes the public’s trust in our immigration laws, and insults legal immigrants who come to our country the right way,” McCormick added. “I am asking the Trump Administration to take a hard look at what is happening in and around my congressional district and hold accountable anyone found to be gaming the system.”
In the letter, McCormick said metro Atlanta’s economic growth and international airport make the region what he called a “logical area of concentration” for those seeking to abuse the program. He asked the departments of Homeland Security, Labor and State, along with other federal agencies involved in visa enforcement, to devote “considerable effort and resources” to allegations in and around the 7th District. h-1b-visa-fraud-investigation-l…
McCormick also offered to support legislation that could strengthen federal enforcement and to help coordinate cooperation between federal authorities and Georgia agencies and law enforcement.
The congressman characterized H-1B abuse as damaging not only to American workers but also to immigrants who follow legal immigration procedures.
He wrote that unchecked fraud could undermine public confidence in the immigration system and “insult” those who comply with immigration laws, while creating greater incentives for others to pursue fraudulent routes.
