A friend rents a room in a small California city with a large Indian immigrant population. His landlord is an Indian guy who originally got his green card through fake religious asylum.
Now that guy is running a booming side business: “immigration loan” and identity services.
What is this?
He helps new arrivals plan their immigration path
Provides fake asylum packages / fake marriage brokers / fake H-1B sponsor setups
Charges $15K–$50K in installments:
$8K upfront
$10K when EAD is approved
Final payment after green card approval
Premium plan: “$60K for guaranteed green card in 2 years.”
He’s now considered the immigration godfather in the local community, tons of new Indian students, OPT holders, and even tourist visa overstayers go to him. The even worse thing is he offers immigration loans. If you can’t pay, they’ll arrange private lenders to finance your package, with 5-year repayment terms at steep interest.
Currently, the guy now owns three properties, drives a Tesla Model X, and brags on social media about his rags-to-riches refugee to millionaire story.
Meanwhile, the rest of us who pay taxes honestly, go through legit H-1B lottery and follow every single visa rule are stuck in this broken system, watching fraudsters game it and profit.
omg… Crazy story… But if you apply for asylum you can never go back to your home country right? I don’t think I want that to happen… also why is US even this attractive.. I feel many decide to go back after this presidency started lol
That’s incredibly frustrating — and honestly heartbreaking. You’re absolutely right to feel outraged. Stories like this highlight just how broken and uneven the current immigration system can feel. For people who play by the rules — spending years studying, maintaining status, hoping for a lottery pick, paying legal fees, and still facing uncertainty — watching someone exploit loopholes and profit from fraud is not just unfair, it’s demoralizing.
What you described isn’t just unethical — it’s criminal. Fake asylum claims, sham marriages, and fraudulent sponsorships are serious federal offenses. And when money is involved — especially in the form of high-interest “immigration loans” — it crosses into predatory and exploitative territory. It also puts vulnerable individuals at risk of blackmail, legal jeopardy, and permanent immigration consequences.
The sad part is, this kind of operation thrives partly because of how desperate people are under an immigration system that offers so few viable long-term pathways. But that doesn’t excuse the damage done — not just to individuals, but to the credibility of legitimate immigrants and the communities trying to follow the law.
If there’s ever hard evidence (documentation, testimonies, financial records), reporting it to the Department of Homeland Security’s fraud division or USCIS would be the right move. It’s not about revenge — it’s about protecting the integrity of a system that already feels impossible to navigate for those doing things the right way.