Third of foreign student visas 'lack credibility', survey finds

[Bangyai]

Third of foreign student visas 'lack credibility', survey finds

A third of visas handed to overseas students should never have been issued with up to 70,000 foreign undergraduates applications "lacking credibility", a government survey has found.

A sixth of those applying as university undergraduates and two-thirds of those at private colleges were considered to have suspicious applications Photo: ALAMY

By Thomas Harding

2:18PM BST 15 Jul 2012


An intention to remain in Britain, failure to speak any English and no desire to complete their degree were given as the top three reasons given to Home Office investigators.

Three out of five visas given to students from India and Nigeria were found to “lack credibility”, the study found.

The survey is part of a crackdown on student visas that have for many years been abused with paperwork being the sole criteria for applications rather than face-to-face interviews.

Despite having certificates showing that they are qualified English speakers, hundreds of students could not answer the most basic questions in interviews without an interpreter.

A sixth of those applying as university undergraduates and two-thirds of those at private colleges were considered to have suspicious applications, the Home Office interviewers concluded in a move to crack down on bogus student visas.

It comes after Damian Green, the immigration minister, announced that the UK Border Agency would interview up to 14,000 students to weed out those who were in Britain on false claims.

With almost half (48 per cent) of all Pakistan applicants considered to be falsified all applicants from the country will now be individually interviewed as part of an immigration crackdown.
The Home Office study, carried out in the three months to February this year, interviewed almost 2,000 students granted visas under the current rules. It found that hundreds of bogus applications were also being made from the Philippines (53 per cent), China, (32) and Kenya (16 per cent) but none from America or Canada.
In the last year 206,000 student visas were granted although the Home Office said that the sample found in its survey would not necessarily be reflected on a wider basis.
Alp Mehment, vice-chairman of MigrationWatch UK, said when the current system was introduced in 2008 there was a 30 per cent increase in applications.
“We have ample evidence to indicated these tests are necessary and students who state they are coming here to study are not all intending to do just that.”


Third of foreign student visas 'lack credibility', survey finds - Telegraph

[ENT]

We've got exactly the same problem in NZ.

NZ deports Chinese students using fake visas
Updated 12 July 2012, 9:11 AEST
New Zealand has started deporting a number of Chinese students after uncovering a scam involving fake visas.


New Zealand police have launched a search for hundreds of Chinese students on fraudulently obtained visas. (Credit: ABC)
Audio: NZ Immigration officials search for Chinese students using illegal visas
An audit of 1800 visa applications lodged in Beijing found more than 15 per cent, or 279, involved false qualifications and falsified bank statements.

Head of Immigration, Steve Stuart, said his department was looking into whether Chinese nationals working in Immigration New Zealand were behind the scam.

He said his officers are now tracking down all the students involved and some have already been thrown out of the country.

"We've started a big investigation which is likely to be ongoing to locate these 231 students," he told Radio Australia.

"Yesterday (Wednesday) we located 10, and of those 10, 9 were issued with deportation liability notices which in effect gives them notice to leave the country."
NZ deports Chinese students using fake visas | ABC Radio Australia

[Umbuku]

Australia as well. Lots of adult students in the English language schools turn up for class to be marked off on the roll then go to sleep as they have been up all night at their cleaning job or driving a taxi for cash in the hand pay. They are absent from class for the maximum time allowed under the visa rules and live in communal houses often with occupancy rates far exceeding local fire regulations.

My wife can't find a job in a Thai restaurant because of all the students willing to work for $5-10 an hour. We have approached over 25 establishments in our area and as soon as they hear she is a permanent resident and wants the basic award wage they shoo her out the door. I can't be bothered reporting the bastards mainly because the Thai community grapevine is as bad as it is in Thailand itself. If we started turning them in to the authorities she would be ostracized and probably never find a job.

Our plan is to open our own small lunch time eatery for her to manage and I will do the books and paperwork. She knows enough other Thai expats in the same boat that we will never be short of reliable (sic) staff.

[dirtydog]

With almost half (48 per cent) of all Pakistan applicants considered to be falsified all applicants from the country will now be individually interviewed as part of an immigration crackdown.

They will do the same as they do with driving licenses, the one who can drive will take their tests for them, in this case the one who can speaky the lingo will pretend to be the one who has to be interviewed.

[ENT]

That's a smart idea to open your own eatery.

I did that several times in the past. The last time was when my wife needed a job but was getting hassled at work. I built a food cart and got a health department permit for it,
We both worked four days a week running it and had three days off to do other things.
Three days catering and one day buying stores and doing maintenance on the food trailer to keep it up to standard.

It was good money and we lived well off it touring fairs, markets, gymkhanas and dance parties.

We were competing with Thai and Cambodian restaurants too, but I kept the hours going when they weren't open, so had little conflict for territory.

The SE Asians didn't mix much with the locals, and all ate at their national food outlets, working part time for food and shared rooms.
Some came to our trailer and liked what we prepared, a mix of western and easten dishes.

Tom yum and rice was a #1 seller, to the extent that they'd often say that my tom yum was better than served in the Thai or Cambodian places.

The secret was that we used all our own recipes and NO MSG at all.

[ENT]

Here's a list of some of the dodgy migrants being dealt to now in NZ.

One of them's a millionaire!

New Zealand passport scammer appeal rejected30 May at 9 AM
A New Zealand court has rejected an appeal by a man found guilty of a scam in which visa overstayers paid him to put fake stamps in their passports. Gerard Otimi charged those in breach of their visas, mainly from Tongan and Samoan, $500 each for the stamp that did nothing to help their cause. Otimi said they would be allowed to stay until...

New Zealand immigrants paid below minimum wage29 May at 9 AM
Many immigrant workers in New Zealand are being paid less than the minimum wage, according to a media investigation. According to ONE News, immigrants are being lured to the country on the promise of work and residency permits, only to be vastly underpaid, sometimes by more than $5 an hour. Avtar Singh from India spoke to the news...

Nigerian accused of New Zealand immigration fraud28 May at 10 AM
A Nigerian man is to stand trial in New Zealand, accused of falsifying documents in an alleged immigration scam. Anthony Okechukwu Ani, 56, is suspected of giving New Zealand authorities fake passports and forged birth certificates for some of the 10 children he was trying to bring into the country under the secondary migration scheme. In...

Chinese businessman innocent of immigration fraud but New Zealand MP in spotlight25 May at 9 AM
Millionaire Chinese businessman William Yan has been found not guilty of all charges relating to making false declarations on a citizenship application for New Zealand. However, the controversial case has raised questions about the conduct of Labour MP Shane Jones who granted Yan citizenship in his role as a cabinet minister. A decision...
http://www.emigratingtonewzealand.co...archive/5-2012

[Marmite the Dog]

We've got exactly the same problem in NZ.

New Zealand police have launched a search for hundreds of Chinese students on fraudulently obtained visas.

with up to 70,000 foreign undergraduates applications "lacking credibility"

Slightly smaller scale though.

[jamescollister]

Last time we where in OZ wife told me some of the Thai girls with PR were paid to attend school in place of the real students, who were infact full time sex workers. Jim

[ENT]

^^ Yup, only 4 million population.

[benbaaa]

I'm quite surprised to see Nigerians mentioned. Who would ever guess that they would turn out to be inclined to pull a fast one? Shocking.

[OhOh]

can't find a job in a Thai restaurant because of all the students willing to work for $5-10 an hour.

No, she can find a job, it's just she wants more than the going rate.

we will never be short of reliable (sic) staff.

Have you found the desperate students, who work for less than the going rate, unreliable?

suspicious applications

So not proven as false, just racist rant from a UK rag.

failure to speak any English

If the students coming to the UK to learn English already could speak English why would they bother to come to the UK, pare fares, pay rent, spend money in the UK. As most universities and colleges are actively encouraging foreign students to their UK universities, they make more profit than from the English nationals, there is an very obvious means of reducing this.

[Umbuku]

No, she can find a job, it's just she wants more than the going rate.

There is no going rate in Australia, only the legal rate. It is illegal to pay anyone below the minimum wage indexed from the relevant industry award. The lowest award rate is $17 an hour for an adult kitchen hand. Seeing as my wife has to report her income to Centrelink every two weeks and record it on her tax documents yearly what is she supposed to do? Write down an inflated value and pay income tax on money she never received but should have?

Have you found the desperate students, who work for less than the going rate, unreliable?

I wouldn't pay them illegal wages so most of them wouldn't want to work for me because the money is recorded and submitted to the government and would probably exceed the monetary amount and hours they are permitted to do each week under their student visa requirements.

[OhOh]

Seems as if the cowering ozzies are under the government thumb all right.

[Marmite the Dog]

failure to speak any English

If the students coming to the UK to learn English already could speak English why would they bother to come to the UK, pare fares, pay rent, spend money in the UK. As most universities and colleges are actively encouraging foreign students to their UK universities, they make more profit than from the English nationals, there is an very obvious means of reducing this.

They're not supposed to be coming to the UK to learn English, but to study at university using English which they are already proficient in.

[ENT]

Same in NZ, but during their first semester it's obvious that they can't cope and English speaking students can make extra cash re-writing and correcting their assignments and essays. There are also support groups of older alumni they can get help from.

By 2nd semester, those who've been noted as lagging in English are generally advised to take an English language course during the half year break and again in the summer hols as well as night classes.

At the end of the 1st year, many have only just passed their papers and 2nd year is a struggle, so the cheating starts about then, where rich kids try to bribe their way through, and phony certs are handed over and escapism through gambling kicks in followed by kidnaps for ransom and finally murder when the rich kids plans have totally failed.

The Chinese are a very cliquey lot, so hang out with the richest or the poorer lot work part time at Chinese restaurants, sharing rooms, orking shifts and studying.

There have been several of those scenarios among the Chinese over the years
They're totally nuts.

[OhOh]

They're not supposed to be coming to the UK to learn English, but to study at university using English which they are already proficient in.

Try telling that to the scores of English Language schools in Bournemouth.

[Marmite the Dog]

They're not supposed to be coming to the UK to learn English, but to study at university using English which they are already proficient in.

Try telling that to the scores of English Language schools in Bournemouth.

You should enroll in one. Maybe you'd understand written English better and stop making stupid comments.