US Officials Uncover Fake University Visa Scam

[misskit]

U.S. law enforcement officials say 21 people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in a conspiracy that allowed over 1,000 foreigners to stay in the country under the pretense of attending or working for a fake university.

The defendants were aware that the University of Northern New Jersey had no instructors, classes or degree programs, but they did not know it was created by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The fake university, complete with a convincing website and a promise of "an exceptional educational experience," was created in 2012 in an effort by Homeland Security to curb visa fraud in the U.S.

U.S. attorney for New Jersey Paul Fisherman told reporters that visa brokers and recruiters flocked to the fake university as word got out, one even admitting to Fisherman that this was a long-standing practice, "just another stop on the ‘pay-to-stay' tour."

The 21 defendants, who are mostly in the U.S. legally, have been charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud and conspiracy to harbor aliens for profit.

Most of the foreign nationals who benefited from the scam come from India and China and were already in the U.S. on non-immigrant visas but looking for ways to stay. They have been identified and will be dealt with by immigration authorities, but not prosecuted, Fisherman said.

Currently, the majority of the 1.2 million students on student visas in the U.S. are attending legitimate universities, government officials told the New York Times.

Several cases of student visa fraud have been reported across the country, creating security concerns for immigration officials under increasing pressure to screen visa applicants for potential terrorism ties.

US Officials Uncover Fake University Visa Scam

[PeeCoffee]

Tax dollars at work in the Dept of "Homeland Security".
What a friggin' joke.

[Davis Knowlton]

^Indeed. Should read "US Officials CREATE Fake University Visa Scam".

Homeland Security is a government dumping ground for those who couldn't get hired anywhere else.

[Storekeeper]

Homeland Security is a government dumping ground for those who couldn't get hired anywhere else.

All those people who go to the trouble of earning liberal arts degrees need jobs too mate ... ... "Feel the Bern" ...

[Black Heart]

On a (possibly) related note,

A buddy of mine teaches ESL in the Southeastern US.

Many students from India come into the US on a tourist visa and then switch to the I-20 to study English in the US.

It's illegal to enter the US and go from a tourist visa to I-20.

But (I assume) officials are making loopholes or have changed things quietly.

These students then work illegally and try to get a green card.

Many are lazy and not good students and ask this instructor to mark them present when the were absent the entire class.

When he says "no" they make threats about "going to admin" or threats about this and that.

Later, they have the audacity to ask him for a reference.

And of course, he says, heck "no."

[Storekeeper]

^ While we were waiting to see if my daughter would get into UW I discovered they had a FB page for new Huskies. They had a post asking all to post where they were coming from and the first five were all from India. Doubt any students accepted into UW from China or India will be on anything but student visas. And in that case it's legal to work. Think it's like 20 hours a week or something like that.

[BobR]

"The fake university, complete with a convincing website and a promise of "an exceptional educational experience"

The test for an entrapment defense is whether the defendant was predisposed to commit the crime. Depending on just how convincing and exceptional the false educational promises were, these exaggerated statements might make for some interesting trials.

"Hey I had no plans to come to the US until I saw this advertisement" could be a valid entrapment defense.

[Black Heart]

^ While we were waiting to see if my daughter would get into UW I discovered they had a FB page for new Huskies. They had a post asking all to post where they were coming from and the first five were all from India. Doubt any students accepted into UW from China or India will be on anything but student visas. And in that case it's legal to work. Think it's like 20 hours a week or something like that.

I assume the vast majority or regular Uni students are on the student visa (I-20), but the scam or loophole is going on in the ESL programs.

This Uni where my friend teaches in the South East is an ESL program at a Uni.

The students from India are only studying ESL at the Uni.

[VocalNeal]

More details can be found on USvisa.com.

As if anyone really cares.

[ENT]

A similar scam went on in UK, where Asian students even had the answers read out to them by the exam invigilator in private Asian run 'colleges' in UK.

Sad to say it was done in co-operation with British officials.

[Black Heart]

A similar scam went on in UK, where Asian students even had the answers read out to them by the exam invigilator in private Asian run 'colleges' in UK.

Sad to say it was done in co-operation with British officials.

Are you referring the to Education Testing Services (ETS) scam with TOEIC tests in the UK in 2012?

That was my last year of teaching.

In the UK, they had dummy candidates sit in for tests that already had the answers. They would take the test for foreign students in the UK attempting to get residency, legal status (of some kind) and visas.

Once the UK government discovered this fraud taking place INSIDE the UK, they automatically cancelled / invalidated ALL tests by ETS. TOEIC, TOEFL etc.

I think the ban still exists, now 4 years later.

The UK did the right thing.

[ENT]

A similar scam went on in UK, where Asian students even had the answers read out to them by the exam invigilator in private Asian run 'colleges' in UK.

Are you referring the to Education Testing Services (ETS) scam with TOEIC tests in the UK in 2012?

That's the one.