How to Fill Out the USCIS Tip Form: Sections and H-1B Reports

To fill out the USCIS tip form, go to uscis.gov/report-fraud/uscis-tip-form, choose the category that matches the suspected immigration benefit fraud, enter whatever identifying details you have about the person or business, and describe what you know in the summary field. There is no login, no fee, and no requirement to give your name. Your information routes to the Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate (FDNS), which screens and investigates tips.¹

Before You Start

The form handles immigration benefit fraud only. If what you want to report is human smuggling, human trafficking, a national security threat, or a public safety concern, that goes to Homeland Security Investigations at 866-347-2423 or ice.gov/webform/ice-tip-form. Human trafficking can also be reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888. Emergencies go to 911.²

Unauthorized practice of immigration law tied to cases before an immigration court, the Board of Immigration Appeals, or the Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer goes to the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s Fraud and Abuse Prevention Program at 877-388-3840 or eoir.fraud.program@usdoj.gov, not to USCIS.

The form is a single online page with four sections. Fill them in order.

Section 1: Your Information

The first block asks for your first name, last name, email, phone number, and whether you are inside or outside the United States. Every field here is optional. You can submit the tip anonymously.

The tradeoff is straightforward. If investigators cannot reach you, they cannot ask follow-up questions, and USCIS says that “may limit our ability to review your tip and take further action.”² Anonymity does not disqualify a tip, but a contactable tipster is more useful than one who vanishes.

Section 2: Pick the Fraud Category

Select the option from the dropdown that best matches the activity. You also mark whether the tip involves a business, an individual, or both.² The choices are:

Marriage or fiancé(e) visa fraud (K-1) — a marriage entered solely to obtain an immigration benefit.
Employment fraud (H-1B, H-2A, H-2B, or other) — misrepresented job duties, wages paid below what was certified on the Labor Condition Application, or petitions for jobs that don’t exist.³
Asylum or refugee fraud — fabricated persecution claims or false country-of-origin information.
Investor visa fraud (EB-5) — fraudulent investment schemes or misrepresented job-creation numbers tied to regional center applications.
Religious worker visa fraud — an organization falsely claiming to employ or sponsor a religious worker.
Student visa fraud — visa-mill schools or students enrolled solely to hold status.
Unauthorized practice of immigration law (notarios) — a person who is not a licensed attorney or accredited representative charging for immigration legal services.
Other immigration benefit fraud or abuse — anything else, including false statements on Form I-485 or Form N-400.

If more than one category could apply, pick the one closest to the core of the conduct and explain the rest in the summary.

Section 3: Suspected Violator Information

Enter as much as you know about the person or business. The two identifiers that matter most for connecting a tip to a file are the Alien Registration Number (the eight- or nine-digit A-number on immigration documents) and the receipt number (the 13-character code on USCIS filing receipts). Neither is required, but either one moves a tip forward faster than a name alone.²

Other fields:

Name of the individual, or the business name.
Address: street, city, state, ZIP, country. Optional, but a location narrows the search.
Date of birth, if known.

There is no field for a Social Security number.

Section 4: Summary of the Fraud

This is the free-text field where you describe what you know. Be concrete. Include dates, locations, names of other people involved, and the specific mechanics of the fraud: a forged document, a shell company, a wage that doesn’t match the LCA, an interview coached to sound genuine. USCIS puts it plainly: “The more details you provide, the better our USCIS officers can review your information and determine the appropriate action.”²

The form is text only. You cannot attach documents, images, or files. If you have emails, contracts, pay records, or other evidence, summarize the key facts in the text field and hold onto the originals in case investigators follow up.

After You Submit

Click submit. FDNS screens the tip, investigates on its own, or coordinates with law enforcement partners depending on what the tip involves.¹

You will not get a confirmation, a case number, or a status update. USCIS states that it “cannot reply to every submission or provide status updates on tips.”² The Privacy Act of 1974 also blocks federal agencies from sharing information about the person being investigated with third parties, so even if you gave your contact details, investigators cannot tell you what came of the tip.⁴

A single tip on its own rarely produces a fraud finding. USCIS needs “substantial and probative evidence,” which usually comes together through interviews, site visits, and records checks that a tip helps trigger.

If You’re an H-1B Worker Reporting Your Employer

Federal law prohibits your employer from retaliating against you for reporting H-1B violations or cooperating in an enforcement investigation. Under INA § 212(n) and its regulations, employers cannot fire, threaten, blacklist, or otherwise discriminate against a worker who blows the whistle on H-1B noncompliance. The same protection covers U.S. workers displaced by H-1B hiring who report the employer’s violations.⁵

Employers who retaliate face penalties up to $5,000 per violation and a two-year debarment from the H-1B program. Workers who suffer illegal retaliation may be entitled to reinstatement, back wages, and other remedies.⁵

Filing a False Tip

The form warns that providing false information could lead to fines, imprisonment, or both. Under 18 U.S.C. § 1001, knowingly making a materially false statement to a federal agency is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, or up to eight years if the false statement relates to terrorism or certain sex offenses.⁶ The government has to prove the statement was made knowingly and willfully. An honest tip that turns out not to pan out is not a crime; fabricated allegations meant to harm someone are.

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate Brochure
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Tip Form
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Combating Fraud and Abuse in the H-1B Visa Program
4
United States Department of Justice. Overview of the Privacy Act 2020 Edition – Disclosures to Third Parties
5
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 62R – What Protections Are There for Whistleblowers
6
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1001 – Statements or Entries Generally