Under scrutiny: Some private colleges are fronts for visa scams (picture posed by models)
Posted on 01/08/2008 2:09:43 PM PST by Stoat
Under scrutiny: Some private colleges are fronts for visa scams (picture posed by models)
The extent to which bogus colleges are helping illegal immigrants enter Britain as "students" was laid bare yesterday.
Almost half of private colleges visited by inspectors were struck off an official list of approved providers.
Out of 256 colleges checked since the register was set up three years ago, 124 were removed.
Some were taken off for "technical" reasons but many others are understood to be fronts for student visa scams.
The phoney colleges, where no classes ever take place, exploit immigration laws which allow foreigners studying in the UK to obtain temporary visas.
Bogus students must hand over hundreds or thousands of pounds to the fake college but this route into Britain is cheaper and safer than paying to be smuggled in by organised gangs.
When the visas expire, the immigrants apply for an extension or "disappear" from records by remaining illegally.
The revelation that more than 100 colleges have been caught in a crackdown on bogus institutions follows the
Mail's disclosure that immigration officers have been ordered to stop deporting foreign students who overstay their visas.
A leaked memo suggested they are not regarded as a high enough priority.
The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills said there were 2,000 private colleges on the register of approved providers.
Students who gain a place at one of these institutions are eligible for a visa.
But there are concerns that many of the remaining 1,750 colleges on the list have not yet been inspected.
An investigation by BBC London News accused a bogus university of trading off the reputations of Oxford and Cambridge to fool foreign students into paying out thousands for worthless degrees.
It revealed how the outfit has staged degree ceremonies at the ancient institutions by hiring out university venues including Cambridge's oldest college, Peterhouse.
The Irish International University (IIU) is affliated to at least one backstreet London college which offers its dubious qualifications. It is thought to operate through many more.
Yet foreign students can be granted visas to study at the college since it appears on an official Government register of education providers.
From 2009, colleges must be accredited with an approved independent body to be included on the register.
Shadow Universities Secretary David Willetts said: "It is very worrying that so many of the colleges on the Government's list have turned out to be bogus.
"It begs the question of how they got on to the list in the first place and suggests the Government's process for accrediting them is not up to scratch."
Higher Education Minsiter Bill Rammell said: "The vast majority of private colleges in London operate lawfully and provide a high-quality service to their students.
"Since 1 January 2005, 256 colleges on the DIUS Register of Education and Training Providers have been investigated by the Borders and Immigration Agency. Of these, 124 have been found to be in breach of the Immigration Rules, and therefore removed from the register.
"We are working very hard on behalf of students to ensure that all private institutions meet strict quality standards.
"Where we are not satisfied that this is the case with a particular college, we will not hesitate to investigate and if necessary, close it down."
UK Secret Home Office memo orders officials to STOP deporting bogus foreign students
I wonder how many US colleges are also fronts for illeals?
Very few. But many vocational type schools here are fronts for collecting taxpayer-funded “financial aid”. Some of them recruit “students” off the street and pay them cash to sign loan papers, without the “students” having any idea they just took out a loan. Proceeds of federal government-subsidized/guaranteed student loan programs are, of course, paid directly to the schools.
Here’s something I wasn’t aware of on the immigration front. Possibly suitable for the AFIRE ping list.
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