Now, Indians eye US entry through paid authorships; fake papers used to fast-track EB1A visas
This visa is awarded to individuals with "extraordinary ability" in science, arts, business, or athletics, and fast-tracks their green card route. As per United States Citizenship and Immigration Services norms, an individual must fulfil at least three out of the 10 criteria to secure an EB1A visa. One of these is evidence of authorship of scholarly articles in professional or major publications.
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The waiting period for a green card through this visa is about three years, while through other visas (like H1B) it stretches up to decades.
Visa shortcut for Rs 1.6 lakh: Fake authorship slots up for grabs
Many mid-career professionals with decent pay packages and leading positions in big firms - which are also part of the 10 criteria - are the ones usually opting for this route.
"That way, their profile checks two boxes and the third can be bought," alleged Abhishek Bakare, a Seattle-based software engineer who developed ScholarlyTrust - a free AI tool that vets the credibility of academic journals and papers using public data - and has extensively investigated this "trend".
Multiple other sources TOI spoke to confirmed it. They claimed applicants pay a hefty sum of anywhere between $500 and $2,000 (Rs 43,000-1.6 lakh) to agents operating in both India and the US to buy authorship slots in academic research papers - often as third or fourth authors.
These agents, in turn, broker deals with journals or conference organisers to sneak their clients' names into pre-written manuscripts or arrange ghostwritten submissions altogether.
These doctored publications are then flaunted as "evidence" in EB1A petitions, despite the visa requiring original contributions to one's field of work.
One such software-developer-turned-agent in the US, who identified himself as Atharv, said, "I have two papers ready with fourth author positions, each priced at $500. The payment is to be made via UPI apps. The paper will be presented at a conference in Paris, which only the lead author needs to attend, which means that individuals availing these services will not have to do anything after their names are listed."
Some agents, sources alleged, even offer slots in backdated articles. A tout based out of India, who identified himself as Rishab, claimed, "We have a 2022 article where the third author slot is available for ₹20,000. We have tie-ups with publication facilitators. Once the payment is made upfront, names will be added immediately. We also offer peer-reviewed article options."
Several of these "authors" are now in the US, claimed Bakare.
"They have added papers to their work portfolios and even showcased them on LinkedIn, falsely claiming authorship," he said, adding that he stumbled upon this practice while analysing datasets through ScholarlyTrust. "I started noticing patterns: odd clusters of publications from India, vague authorship, and dodgy conference listings... later, when I posed as a prospective client and spoke to brokers in India and the US, I found that they offered everything - authorship slots, peer review roles, even judging panels (another of the 10 criteria) to falsely bolster EB1A applications," Bakare alleged.
While the number of takers from the two Telugu states remains modest for now, interest is spiking - especially from IT professionals hoping to upgrade from work visas to EB1A status, said Arun Teja, a Hyderabad-based immigration consultant. "But with the US ramping up scrutiny, this loophole is also likely to close soon," he said.
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