Stanford Researcher Charged With Visa Fraud After Allegedly Concealing Her Background as Chinese Military Officer

In December 2018, Song Chen, 38, entered the United States using a J-1 nonimmigrant visa. A J-1 visa is issued to individuals participating in work-and-study-based exchange visitor programs. In her visa application submitted in November 2018, she described herself as a neurologist who was coming to Stanford University to conduct research related to brain disease. She disclosed that she served in the Chinese military from September 2000 to June 2011, and that her current employer was a Beijing hospital named “Xi Diaoyutai.” On July 17, an FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) agent, Joyce Blalock, stated in her affidavit filed in support of the federal investigation: “Open source research showed Song’s continued affiliation with the PLA Air Force (People’s Liberation Army) in a variety of capacities well past her stated termination date of June 2011.”