The new form lets anyone, including anonymous tipsters, report suspected visa fraud by individuals or organizations, and the information may be shared with law enforcement in the U.S. and abroad.
The U.S. Department of State has launched an online portal at travel.state.gov/reportvisafraud where members of the public can report suspected fraud or misuse of U.S. visas. The Office of the Spokesman announced it in a media note on September 23, 2026.
The Department says public tips have already played a major role in its enforcement work. According to the announcement, many of the “tens of thousands of visa fraudsters” the Department has identified during President Trump’s second term were found through information from the public. The Department describes the portal as a more convenient and reliable way to send that information in for review.
What counts as visa fraud?
The media note lists several examples of what the Department considers visa fraud: falsified documents or travel plans, brokers arranging sham marriages, shell companies, fabricated job offers, and engaging in or facilitating birth tourism. The Department says it will respond to violations by revoking visas and referring cases for further law enforcement investigation.
What the form asks for?
The form is designed to collect detailed identifying information. For individuals, tipsters can provide a full name, A-Number, petition or receipt number, passport and visa numbers, date of birth, address, email, phone numbers, nationality, and social media profile links. A separate section covers organizations such as companies, schools, and law firms. It asks for the entity’s name, address, website, contact details, associated individuals, and the specific location where the suspected fraud is taking place.
Tipsters get 1,000 characters to describe the suspected fraud and another 500 for additional details. Anyone with supporting documents is asked to leave contact information so the Department can explain how to send them. The Department estimates the form takes about 15 minutes to complete.
Anonymity and data sharing
Reports can be submitted anonymously. The Department encourages people to include a name and email so investigators can follow up, and the privacy notice cautions that the Department may not be able to act on a tip without that information.
Under the form’s privacy notice, information submitted may be shared internally for any appropriate official purpose. It may also go to federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, and foreign law enforcement agencies that have jurisdiction over the reported matter.
Before submitting, tipsters must confirm that their information is accurate to the best of their knowledge. The form warns that knowingly providing false information can lead to fines, imprisonment, or both under 18 U.S.C. § 1001.
The form operates under OMB Control Number 1405-0268, which expires on March 31, 2027. It also directs people reporting crimes unrelated to legal immigration, or imminent threats to national security or public safety, to contact the appropriate agencies. Human trafficking tips go to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
What remains unclear?
The announcement does not say how many tips the Department receives. It also does not explain how tips are screened for accuracy or malicious intent, or how long submitted information is kept. Those details matter for weighing how effective the portal is and what risks it poses. Immigration attorneys and civil liberties groups have raised concerns about similar public tip lines in the past. They worry that such systems can be misused to report people out of personal disputes, even though the false-statement penalty is meant to discourage that.
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