Thousands of Foreign Nationals Living Abroad Secure $1.2K Stimulus Checks

Thousands of foreign nationals living abroad have secured $1,200 stimulus checks meant for American citizens, a report details.

Foreign nationals from around the world, all of whom likely secured visas to previously work in the United States, were able to get their hands on stimulus checks that President Trump’s administration began sending out in April to American citizens.

The stimulus checks are economic relief after the Chinese coronavirus crisis spurred a nationwide shutdown. A second round of stimulus checks for Americans are expected to begin arriving soon.

A report by NPR, though, details how foreign nationals living abroad were sent stimulus checks with no legislative fix thus far to ensure the mistake does not happen in the future.

NPR reports:

Thousands of foreign workers who entered the U.S. on temporary work visas received $1,200 checks in error during the first round of stimulus payments, and many of them are spending the money in their home nations. One tax preparation firm told NPR that it has clients from 129 countries who mistakenly received stimulus checks, including Brazil, Canada, China, India, Nigeria and South Korea. [Emphasis added]

…

How much stimulus money was mistakenly sent to foreign workers living overseas is difficult to quantify. But Sprintax, which does U.S. tax preparation for nonresidents, did about 400 amended returns last year for people who mistakenly filed as U.S. residents, and so far this year it has done 5,000 — almost 5% of the total federal tax returns it filed last year, according to the company. If just 5% of last year’s more than 700,000 student and seasonal workers with F-1 and J-1 visas received a stimulus check in error, that would total $43 million. [Emphasis added]

Many of the foreign nationals previously arrived in the U.S. as temporary nonimmigrant visa workers through the H-2B, H-2A, and J-1 visa programs. Others arrived as foreign students on F-1 visas.

One former visa holder, a 24-year-old Dominican national, told NPR he received a stimulus check after he had previously worked in the U.S. on a work visa.

“I was really surprised because I was not expecting that money,” he said, mentioning that if he is asked to return the funds, he will do so.

“This money, to be honest, is a big help because we can buy food, we can pay the cable services, and we also can pay the university,” he told NPR.

The Dominican national said he knows others living in Europe, South America, and Central America who were sent stimulus checks as well.

In May, Breitbart News reported that F-1 and J-1 foreign visa holders were mistakenly being sent stimulus checks. Some of those former visa holders are likely living in China, as Chinese nationals dominate a number of the foreign student visa categories.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.