Vance Announces Investigation Into Harvard, Eight Other Universities Over Alleged Visa Fraud

Vice President JD Vance announced Thursday that the Trump administration is investigating Harvard and eight other universities for potential J-1 visa fraud, alleging that the institutions are using foreign researchers to undercut the wages of American graduate students and researchers.

The Department of Labor’s inspector general, Anthony P. D’Esposito, said at a Thursday press conference that his office had already served subpoenas to the nine universities, which will examine allegations of undue foreign influence, foreign financial ties, and J-1 visas.

The other eight universities under investigation are Yale University, Stanford University, Brown University, the University of Pittsburgh, University of California, Davis, California Institute of Technology, Arizona State University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Vance alleged that the nine universities were employing J-1 visa holders on federally funded research projects at a rate of roughly 61 percent, compared to a national average of 38 percent. He did not explain how the figures were calculated.

“Something weird is going on at these universities,” Vance said Thursday. “They’re using these visas way too much. They’re using them to undercut the wages of American grad students and American researchers, and it simply has to stop.”

The J-1 Exchange Visitor Program allows foreign nationals to temporarily study, teach, or conduct in the United States through exchange programs overseen by the State Department.

The investigation marks the latest escalation in the Trump administration’s efforts to scrutinize Harvard’s international students and researchers.

In July 2025, the State Department launched a separate investigation into Harvard’s participation in the same J-1 visa program, questioning whether the University’s programming ran “contrary to our nation’s interests.”

The State Department did not allege specific misconduct at the time, but demanded records related to Harvard’s visa sponsorships.

Earlier that month, the Department of Homeland Security subpoenaed Harvard for records related to the University’s oversight of international students and its compliance with federal immigration law. DHS said at the time that it only subpoenaed Harvard after asking the University repeatedly to voluntarily turn over the documents.

The announcement comes just days after lawyers for the Trump administration suggested in court that the White House would re-issue a proclamation barring Harvard’s international students from entering the United States if the court lifted an injunction on the ban.

The new investigation is part of a broader crackdown on student and employment-based immigration programs. Vance announced on Thursday that tech giants like Microsoft will be suspended from a federal labor certification process used to sponsor foreign employees for permanent residence in the U.S.

Harvard currently sponsors visas for more than 10,000 international students and scholars across the University, according to the Harvard International Office.

A Harvard spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

—Staff writer Hugo C. Chiasson can be reached at [email protected] or on Signal at hcc.35. Follow him on X @HugoChiassonn.

—Staff writer Elise A. Spenner can be reached at [email protected] or on Signal at elisespenner.82. Follow her on X @EliseSpenner.