Scam English test

Systems set up by government agencies are studied by fraudsters of all kinds, who soon find ways to take advantage of those systems and develop businesses and business practices based on that. People coming in from abroad must get a first impression that the UK is run on systematic fraud.

The scammers organising immigration fraud are practiced at their jobs, a thriving and well established industry. It's unbelievable that government agencies are really fooled by these scams. No-one could possibly be that gormless.

I really must protest cyfrifia. How dare you malign our gormless civil service industry in that way! Of course they can. It's part of their entrance examinations when they are required to think up their own answers to the questions given. Dearie me -!!   

Poppyanna555 wrote:

Did anyone else watch the programme Panorama on BBC1 'Immigration Undercover'?

A report exposing the wholesale scams and fraud taking place in Britain in order to obtain a Student Visa, it was a real eye opener and should be addressed immediately.

Poppyanna: thought you'd emigrated !      

The subject has come up several times in past years and seems to be big business - whether legit or not. Student visa system fraud exposed in BBC investigation: -   http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26024375

Hi MJH....I might have emigrated years ago had I had the opportunity (and the foresight) but alas it's too late for me now

What an eye opener that programme was although I can't say I was shocked at what is happening.  

No wonder our tiny island is full of  illegal immigrants.


I have to say though, the Banner above made me chuckle when I logged in, reminded me of the house up for rent near me with the hand-written sign in the window that says ' House for RANT '... he he he  

It might be upsetting for people who apply genuinely to emigrate into the UK to find the quick, accepted and established way is to buy or scam your way in, but may be no surprise, probably the way in much of the world.

Our Island is not 'full' of illegal immigrants.

Did someone say it was? The thread is generally about foreign students paying professional scamming agencies to get them through English language tests and into British colleges and Universities. There is international competition for foreign students, which may explain why British universities are not motivated to be too strict on those entry tests.

A proportion of overseas students do get jobs, disappear, overstay and then become illegal. There are always some illegal immigrants around in most countries, often working in hotel and restaurant sorts of business, the shadow economy.

What someone might mean by illegal immigrants can be fuzzy. If someone from abroad pays and arranges to marry an E.U. citizen they have never met before, in order to get legal right to stay in the UK, as long as the marriage goes through, they then become legal. Similar with students who gain entry by scam, if the scam works, they are legal. Statistics about who is legal and who is illegal are rather blurred.

Most guesstimates seem to put the figure at about a million. As a percentage of total UK population its not all that great but does indicate the shambolic nature of our border controls.

Most ludicrous to me is the time, energy and cost wasted by the Border Control Agency in apprehending these people then simply letting them go in an eternal came of cat and mouse, where the odds are stacked heavily in favour of the mouse.

Oh for a simple, easily understood and ENFORCEABLE policy. These people involved in issuing fraudulent documents should be treated as front line traffickers and dealt with accordingly.

Sad to note that in the programme, all of those involved appeared to be of immigrant stock themselves.

Hinch wrote:Sad to note that in the programme, all of those involved appeared to be of immigrant stock themselves.

Fairly natural that immigrants seeking opportunity to make money, and going through the system themselves will understand the opportunities to scam it and to build a business on that.

Quote: "The Home Office has suspended English-language tests run by a major company after a TV investigation claimed Britain's student visa system is riddled with fraud."

Theresa May, home secretary, said: "The student visa regime we inherited was open to widespread abuse."

Yvette Cooper, shadow home secretary, said: "This investigation shows Theresa May is presiding over a failing immigration system which too often focuses on the wrong thing and where illegal immigration is a growing problem.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/feb/10/student-visa-tests-suspended-fraud

Political action often seems to follow media expose of whatever is highlighted, if the media didn't investigate, who would?