US government probe into postdoc visas worries scientists The administration says that the universities being investigated are using the visas to undercut wages for US nationals, but researchers say that restricting international applications could harm science. By Nicola Jones

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-03345-z?utm_source=Live+Audience&utm_campaign=b691f2a608-nature-briefing-daily-20261020&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-33f35e09ea-50432164 The US government has launched an investigation into nine universities’ employment of international researchers. The probe’s purpose is to reduce “visa fraud”, according to vice-president JD Vance, who said that these universities are using too many J-1 visas — the main type used by international postdoctoral researchers in the United States. Critics say that the rationale for the investigation is flawed, that international postdocs play a crucial part in US laboratories and that the announcement is deepening the sense of unease felt by international scientists.