US probes Harvard, Stanford over scholar exchange visas

Liam Knox, Bloomberg News on Oct 8, 2026

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The Trump administration is launching investigations into foreign exchange visa holders at nine top colleges including Harvard University, Stanford University and MIT, in its latest broadside against international students and scholars at elite schools.

The sweeping fraud probe is focused specifically on J-1 visa holders, who at universities are often international PhD candidates or visiting scholars.

“Nobody is getting a free pass because their name is carved on an expensive building,” Anthony D’Esposito, inspector general for the Department of Labor, said at a press conference announcing the probes on Thursday.

Other schools under investigation include Yale, Brown, the University of Pittsburgh, the California Institute of Technology, Arizona State University and the University of California at Davis. Representatives for the schools did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

At the same press conference, the administration suspended an immigration program for several large tech firms, including Microsoft Corp., alleging fraud and abuse of the worker visa system. On Wednesday, officials proposed a fee of up to $100,000 for international students hoping to enter a popular temporary work visa program after graduating, an expense also likely to impact both universities and major tech companies.

The probes come amid a wider federal crackdown on international researchers and foreign influence at American universities. Several federal agencies have launched investigations into overseas donations at schools including Harvard and Duke in recent months, and officials have hinted at more to come. On Wednesday, the Trump administration announced a push to train more American scientists in STEM doctoral programs, which have a disproportionate number of international students.

In his announcement, D’Esposito pointed to the large number of “foreign nationals” in doctoral programs and research fellowships as a possible national security concern.

“The Chinese Communist Party doesn’t need to kick down the doors of our research laboratories if our own institutions are willing to leave the doors wide open,” he said.

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