Amid the Trump administration’s intense scrutiny of immigration and visa violations in the US, a social media post accusing an Indian-origin woman of student-visa fraud has sparked a controversy online. The row prompted clarification from a US Attorney's office, who found that the woman, Sadhana Gollapudi, is a naturalised US citizen and is not in the country on a student visa.
Viral ‘Forever F1 Student’ Claim
The controversy began after an X account called ‘CyberGreen09’ accused Gollapudi of being a “forever F1 student”. The F1 visa is a category used by international students studying at US universities. The account claimed that she had been using the student visa route for years by enrolling in different academic programmes.
“Meet Sadhana Gollapudi, forever F1 student since 2014. Sadhana enjoys traditional barefoot crab dancing in Houston, Texas. For 12 years, she has played the student visa game, enrolling in multiple programs," the post, shared on X read. It further accused her of working illegally while on a student visa. “Works as a dancer & cash tutor violating her visa," the account added, sharing a video of her performance along with the hashtag #visafraud.
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US Attorney Checks the Claim
The post quickly went viral and drew the attention of Houston attorney Aaron Reitz. He said his office looked into the matter and found that Gollapudi is a naturalised US citizen. “Thanks for flagging. My office looked. She’s a naturalized US citizen, not here on student visa," Reitz said. He added, ““As US Atty [attorney] over Houston, I take visa fraud seriously. We prosecute it to the fullest. Neither illegal aliens nor those who obtain legal status illegally are welcome on American soil.”
Gollapudi Responds
Gollapudi, who is a biomedical engineer, addressed the controversy on Instagram. She said that her content had been reposted on X without her permission. She alleged that the account had made false and misleading claims about her. “The past few days have been incredibly difficult and upsetting for me and my loved ones. My content has been reposted without my permission on another social media platform (X, formerly Twitter) by an account that is spreading false and misleading claims about me," she posted on Instagram.
Gollapudi thanked people who supported her during the controversy. “Your support means more than you know. Thank you for standing by me," she added.
Who Is A Naturalised Citizen?
A person born outside the US who voluntarily gains American citizenship through a legal process is called a naturalised US citizen.
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