Overview
- Labor Department Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito and Vice President JD Vance announced the probe Thursday and said subpoenas have been served to each of the nine named universities.
- The universities under investigation are Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Brown, the University of Pittsburgh, UC Davis, Caltech, Arizona State and MIT.
- Officials say the schools use J‑1 exchange visas for about 61 percent of federally funded research roles versus a cited national average of 38 percent and that J‑1 holders earn roughly $20,000 less than U.S. graduate students or researchers.
- Affected institutions have said they will review the subpoenas, cooperate with the investigation and maintain they follow applicable visa laws while defending the value of international scholars.
- At the same press conference officials announced Microsoft’s suspension from the H‑1B program and warned the probe could lead to wider audits of grant spending, changes in research staffing and closer scrutiny of foreign‑influence risks that affect both U.S. and international researchers.