College accused of selling English Language Certificates to Tier 4 students

An international Tier 4 college is under investigation following claims it was illegally selling English language certificates to help hundreds of immigrants settle in the UK, The Times reports.

Students at the Manchester-based Oxford College of Management Sciences appeared to have “little or no knowledge of what, when and where they had studied” and could buy the certificates for between £250 and £450, an investigation by The Times found.

UK Border Agency (UKBA) officials said anyone applying for citizenship who claimed to have an English language qualification from the college had been automatically refused since April.

Lin Homer, UKBA chief executive, said: “I take allegations regarding any abuse of the immigration system extremely seriously and will ensure that action is taken by officers on intelligence received. This Government is committed to cracking down on this kind of abuse.”

The accusations will fuel concerns that bogus colleges are providing the English for Speakers of Other Languages (Esol) certificates, part of the requirement for UK citizenship, as they exploit weaknesses in the UK’s immigration controls.

In December last year, exams regulator Ofqual raised concerns that immigrants could use the certificates as a means of applying for permanent residency in the UK.

It warned that the certificates were “being issued with virtually no training or learning taking place and with insufficient rigour in the assessment process”.

Ms Homer added: “This college is not accredited and since April we have automatically refused any applicant with an English language qualification from this college.

“We have referred details of this college to the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator and City of Guilds to investigate as a matter of urgency.

More than 203,000 immigrants were granted British citizenship last year, a 58% rise on the previous year and the highest number since records were first published in 1962, Home Office statistics showed. Source: Press Association.

Comment

Whilst we all deplore the behaviour and criminal activities of bogus colleges, it should be remembered that the vast majority of private colleges are providing an excellent educational service to thousands of overseas students.

The colleges have been inspected by awarding bodies such as City and Guilds, OCR and Edexcel, officially appointed accreditation bodies, such as BAC and ASIC, before going through the rigorous Tier 4 Sponsors licensing process by the UK Border Agency.

However tight the government makes the immigration rules and borders or points based licensing process, inevitably a few rogues will slip through the net.

The international educational sector is worth over £8 billion to the UK economy. When introducing caps on migration, the government must be careful not to throw the baby out with the bath water.

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See also:

English language tests for Tier 4 Students

Weekly Immigration News Round up 15 August 2010

Secure English language requirement for Tier 4 students compulsory after 12 August

Immigration Minister announces crackdown on sham marriages and bogus colleges

English UK win High Court battle over Tier 4 student visas

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: 

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk