Arizona State University is one of nine universities under federal investigation over allegations that they improperly use J-1 visas to staff research positions, officials announced Thursday, Oct. 8. Vice President JD Vance and Labor Department Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito said the newly formed Visa Fraud Strike Team has served subpoenas at all nine schools. They allege the universities used the exchange-visitor visa program to avoid employment obligations and put downward pressure on wages for U.S. graduate students and researchers. The allegations have not been established as fact. The J-1 program allows exchange visitors, including scholars and researchers, to come to the United States. The investigation is separate from the H-1B visa program, which was also discussed at the officials’ news conference. The other universities named are Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Brown, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of California, Davis, the California Institute of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Vance and D’Esposito said the nine institutions account for about 61% of federally funded research positions filled through J-1 visas, compared with a national average of roughly 38%. “Something weird is going on at these universities,” Vance said, arguing that visa use was harming U.S. researchers’ wages. D’Esposito said federal investigators would examine whether taxpayer-supported programs were used lawfully. ASU said it employs a large scientific and technical workforce and hires the talent needed to support its research and educational work. The university said it has acted in compliance with existing U.S. policy and law. Phoenix attorney Josh Kolsrud said Congress established the J-1 program to bring international researchers and scholars to the United States. A university saving money by hiring J-1 visa holders for research work is not, by itself, illegal, he said. The investigation could affect how universities recruit international researchers and how federal agencies oversee research funding and visa programs. The officials did not provide details about specific alleged violations at ASU or the other schools.