Immigration Matters » paid work placement

EU and non-EU workers take more UK jobs as number of Britons in work plunges

Charles Kelly — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:18:26 +0000

Foreign born worker number jumps 181,000 in a year – or 495 a day
Minister says firms only taking on foreign workers is ‘unacceptable’
Overall unemployment at highest level since 1994
Business leaders say they prefer those born abroad
Government scheme to offer incentives for firms to hire apprentices

Official figures this week reveal that 500 foreigners landed a job in Britain every day over the past year while the number of UK-born workers fell and unemployment hit a 17-year high.

The Office for National Statistics said the number of British-born workers has crashed by 311,000 in a year, equal to more than 850 a day. But in the same period, the number of foreign-born employees jumped by 181,000 – or 495 a day.

Ministers admitted the situation was ‘unacceptable’, although bosses warned that many young British workers were too lazy and too bad at basics such as punctuality to be worth hiring. But experts said the latest figures highlight the urgency of tackling the immigration problem.

Earlier this week Chris Grayling, the Employment Minister, was asked about why one branch of the sandwich chain Pret A Manger appeared to be staffed entirely by foreigners.

He told Sky News: ‘It is certainly a situation that I find unacceptable. Of course, this country has benefited from people coming in from other countries to work.

‘But I want to see more young people in positions in this country and I want … to see them getting jobs that become vacant, rather than people coming into the UK.’

It comes as unemployment among those aged 16 to 24 has ballooned to its highest level on record, topping one million for the first time.

Overall unemployment is currently 2.62million, its highest since 1994. The number of employees has dropped by 305,000 between July and September, the largest fall since 1992. Last month, however, the number of people claiming unemployment benefits rose by just 5,000, indicating, that many of those out of work refuse to claim because they expect to find a job again soon.

Dr John Philpott, chief economic adviser to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, said the general picture meant it already felt like a second downturn had begun for millions of workers.

‘This is a miserable time for UK workers as well as the jobless,’ he said ‘The anaemic “jobs-light/pay-tight” recovery itself feels just like a recession.’

Sir Andrew Green, of the Migrationwatch think-tank, described the figures as ‘stunning’.

He said: ‘The immigration lobby can no longer pretend that these massive levels of immigration have no significant effect on the job prospects for British workers who are now unemployed.’

The crisis facing British-born workers comes after business leaders and lobby groups have warned they prefer foreign workers. The British Chambers of Commerce said many school leavers and graduates with ‘fairly useless’ degrees are unemployable because they lack basic skills.

Dr Adam Marshall, director of policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said the fault does not lie with the young person, but their education. ‘There may be a course in underwater basket weaving, but that does not mean anybody will actually want to employ you at the end of it,’ he said.

A report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, meanwhile, said bosses preferred foreign workers because they had a more ‘positive’ attitude.

Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, warned recently that Britain was in ‘the last chance saloon’ if it wants to get British people off benefits and into the workplace.

Ministers in his department are understood to be ‘concerned’ at the figures. ‘It’s not a pretty picture,’ said one source. ‘It makes it very difficult to do welfare reform when there are so many people coming in.’

A new Government scheme, announced yesterday, will offer a £1,500 cash incentive to small firms who hire an apprentice for the first time. Under the proposal, companies will be forced to educate the young person in English and maths to a level at which they would be able to pass a GCSE in both subjects.

Why bosses hire foreign staff

The number of foreign employees at a leading firm of plumbers has doubled over the past two years because British workers lack the right work ethic.

Charlie Mullins, the 52-year-old founder of Pimlico Plumbers, said Britons would ‘rather be footballers than do an honest day’s work’.

Mr Mullins, whose firm has 200 staff, said he was forced to employ foreign-born people because they work harder than their British counterparts.

‘We’re increasingly employing foreign workers. They have the right attitude and are prepared to work harder,’ he said.

‘The younger British generation who come in for interviews are often sent by the benefit people and have no desire to work.

‘It’s a case of “won’t work”, not “can’t work”. They feel as if the country owes them a living.’

Organic Greengrocer Keith Abel was forced to employ foreign-born workers because his popular firm, which delivers organic groceries, has struggled to find young British people to fill vacant positions.

He said some young Britons were trapped in the benefits system and did not want to get up early to do a job for £7-an-hour when they could rely on Government handouts.

Mr Abel, who started Abel and Cole more than 20 years ago, said: ‘We’ve got a fantastic workforce, we’ve got extremely hard-working people.

‘It’s just a bit of a tragedy that a considerable and significant number of them are from Eastern Europe and not the local communities given the rates of unemployment in the local area.’

He said his company could not recruit young British people to work for £7.25-an-hour as delivery drivers and that some young British people on benefits would rather receive handouts than work.

‘People who are in the benefits system struggle with the concept of getting out of bed at 5.30 to do a six o’clock until three o’clock shift on £7 an hour when the actual additional income they’d be taking home is initially very small,’ he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

‘The point is, the better-paid work comes for the people who start on the lower-paid work. There must be a solution whereby the Government is able to wean people off benefits rather than shut them off completely when somebody goes into a job.’

Mr Abel, 47, whose company turned over £30million last year, also said there was a reluctance among young people to start at the bottom and work their way up.

He said: ‘People are not prepared to start with what they deem to be menial jobs. Terry Leahy, the head of Tesco, famously started stacking shelves. Everyone starts at the bottom.’

He said he would happily find roles for young British people who were out of work. ‘If people who are on the unemployment register want to ask us for jobs, we’d interview them in exactly the same way we interview anyone else,’ he added.

‘Business people are in there to do business. Politicians are in there to solve problems like unemployment.’

Hotel owner Terry Rodgers said that while he is horrified that more than a million young people in Britain are unemployed, I’m afraid I’m not at all surprised. After working in the catering industry for 16 years – many of those as a manager seeking to employ staff – I have come to the sad conclusion that many young people simply do not want to work.

Of course they say they want a job. They send off job applications and turn up for interviews. But when it comes down to hard graft, they are simply not interested.

The truth is that young people think the state owes them a living.

Underpinning everything is a welfare state which creates a culture where no one worries whether they have a job or not because there’s always free money from the Government to fall back on.

Also, brought up in school and home environments where criticism is practically non-existent, when they face the tough, challenging world of work, they are unable to cope.

To hear them complain about the shortage of jobs you would think they are desperate to work, willing to walk over hot coals to get a job. However, nothing could be further from the truth.

During my career, I have interviewed and employed many young people. And it shames me to say this but it was often easier to teach English to foreign applicants than it is to try to instill the right work ethic in our own English-speaking youth.

Time and again I see young people turn up for interviews wearing grubby jeans or tracksuits. They smoke and talk on the phone to their friends.

Many of them come with their partner or a parent (some even send their parents on ahead while they have a lie-in). What’s more, a lot don’t seem interested in the post at all – having turned up just so I can sign their Jobseekers’ Allowance form which means they can continue to receive welfare benefits.

Of those who do inquire seriously about the jobs, they often demand preposterous conditions. Many say they don’t want to work weekends or evenings because they want to go out with their friends. One applicant said the half-hour walk to work was too far.

One wretched soul told me he couldn’t work on Friday nights or Saturday mornings because he would be out with friends on Friday evenings and hung-over on Saturday morning! And they expect me to reward their commitment with a job?

Rather than interviewees doing their best to persuade me that I should employ them, the roles have become absurdly reversed with me having to persuade them to take the job.

Already I have had to let eight people go – and we have only been open since March – because they didn’t have the right attitude. One phoned in sick on his second day and never came back. Another lasted two weeks then she said the job was not for her because she missed Friday nights out with friends.

Another youngster was training for an NVQ qualification in our fine-dining team but lacked any ambition and decided life would be easier if she returned to her old job at a pub, where food was just heated in a microwave.

And I sacked one employee for phoning in sick, then posting pictures of herself at a social event on the same day on Facebook.

How then have we got ourselves into this ridiculous position?

Schools must take part of the blame. They teach subjects such as media studies, which give them false hopes about the type of jobs they can secure. There is a limit to the number of people who can work on The X Factor.

The tragedy is that so many youngsters seem devoid of real-life experience. This is where parents are at fault. From what I have seen, many parents have the same disengaged, uncommitted and welfare-sodden attitudes as their children.

Among many, there seems to be an utter absence of any sense of responsibility, work ethic or pride in contributing to society.

I recently gave a talk to a careers night at a local college. The youngsters stood slouched, hands in pockets staring up at the ceiling, some of them whistling under their breath. Not a single parent present chastised them for such unacceptable disrespect to an adult who had given up their time to address them.

There are those, however, who will do anything to secure a job.

I once interviewed a young man in Staffordshire. He had taken a ferry, train and bus from the Isle of Man to make the appointment. He was wearing a suit and tie.

I gave him a job as a waiter and he’s now an events manager for a university. You’ve probably guessed – he is foreign (having been born in Indonesia).

One of the best employees I ever had was a young Turk who barely spoke any English. He was so keen that I gave him a backroom job.

After infuriating weeks when other British employees had called in sick or turned up late, I put the Turk on the frontline. He was polite and friendly, happily juggling the job with two afternoons of English classes each week. He now manages one of the bars in Dublin Airport.

Job opportunities are certainly here and I want to give them to young people in my local area, but I’ve hit a wall. In desperation this week, I asked friends in the catering industries in Spain, Morocco and Holland to recommend any staff.

The first step to raise standards in our home-grown young is to admit that, for many, unemployment has become a personal choice to avoid hard work – and not an inescapable trap. Source: Daily Mail.

This year government introduced a cap on non-EU migration and has restricted students in private colleges from working.

Employers looking for staff, for instance in the care industry, are increasingly turning to EU member workers from Eastern Europe.

However, not all EU members have the same rights to work in the UK and getting it wrong could result in a hefty fine.

Employers are often unaware of the distinct difference between ‘A8’ nationals (Polish, Latvian, Slovakian, Czechs, Hungarians, Slovenians Lithuanians and Estonians), who joined the EU in 2004 and more recent members from Bulgaria and Romania. Although both groups have the same rights to freely enter the UK, they do not enjoy the same rights to work, or free movement of labour.

Despite the fact that they are EU members, when it comes to employment Bulgarian and Romanian citizens do not have the same rights as other Europeans, for instance from Poland, Slovakia or other A8 Accession countries. See: Free Movement of EU nationals explained.

British businesses would like to recruit Romanian, Bulgarian and other European workers, as the Government’s cap on migration, combined with newly imposed restrictions on Tier 2 and Tier 4 routes, has made it increasing difficult to recruit non-EU staff (on work permits and student visas).

Bulgarians and Romanians coming to the UK on Yellow Card registration permits can work and study full time on vocational courses such as NVQ or QCF courses in Health and Social Care.

Leading NVQ and vocational course provider Majestic College has seen a large increase in the number of students from Bulgaria and Romania this year. The college helps students through the yellow card process and arranges work placements for NVQ/QCF Health and Social Care learners.

Majestic College administrator Joanna said they have no problems arranging paid work placements for Bulgarian and Romanian students as care sector employers are desperate for staff. Joanna said:

“As soon as a student enrols on the course we are able to arrange a job subject to yellow card.

“Employers are willing to take them on because they cannot find enough local people to do the work.”

NVQ Student who wants to start her own Care Home in The Philippines The “British way”

Charles Kelly — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:28:22 +0000

NVQ student wants to start her own care home in the Philippines and has come to the UK to learn the “British way” of doing things!

She is taking NVQ Health and Social Care course combined with paid work placements arranged by Immigration Advisers Bison UK.

www.majesticcollege.org

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

NVQ Student happy with HSBC account and £10 bonus credit

Charles Kelly — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:08:04 +0000

NVQ Student discusses her new HSBC account, which includes a free SIM card and £10 credited to the account.

Majestic College has a special arrangement with HSBC for opening bank accounts for their students, which can be difficult for overseas students and migrant workers.

Before this student visa holder has even started her paid work placement she already has money in her new UK bank account.

www.majesticcollege.org

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

NVQ Students get £10 and SIM card at HSBC

Charles Kelly — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:08:05 +0000

NVQ Students arrive in UK and with the help of Majestic College get £10 and Sim card for opening a bank account at HSBC.

They are taking NVQ in Health and Social Care and Cusomer Service courses.

Majestic College has a special arrangement with HSBC for opening bank accounts for their students. As part of the package HSBC give students a pack containing a London Guide, a free sim card for cheaper calls abroad and credit their account with £10!

They haven’t even started their paid work placement yet and already have money in their new UK bank account.

www.majesticcollege.org

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

3 Filipino NVQ Students Arrive in UK and get £10 for opening a bank account!

Charles Kelly — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:57:08 +0000

Three young Filipino NVQ Students from Mindanao arrive at Majestic College in the UK and get £10 for opening a bank account!

Majestic College has a special arrangement with HSBC for opening bank accounts for their students. As part of the package HSBC give students a free sim card and credit their account with £10!

The students are taking NVQ Health and Social Care courses combined with paid work placements in a UK care home, arranged by Immigration Advisers Bison UK.

www.majesticcollege.org

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

Immigration News Weekly Round-up

Charles Kelly — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 23:08:54 +0000

NVQ provider leaves thousands of Filipino students out of pocket

A large NVQ College has closed down leaving Filipino students “high and dry” after paying hundreds of pounds in upfront fees weeks before the owners pulled the plug on its Wembley office.

Since Precision Training collapsed students have been sent letters by a company called ‘Aspire Training’, which claims to have taken over from Precision due to ‘Precision Training going into liquidation’.

NVQ awarding body EDEXCEL had imposed sanctions against Precision as far back as May 2008, preventing them from taking on new students, it is alleged.

OTHER IMMIGRATION MATTERS STORIES THIS WEEK

7 Steps for overseas students when your college fails

What should you do if you are a victim of Precision Training or another bankrupt college?

As a student on a student visa, you must be in ‘full time study in order to comply with your visa conditions. If your college is not providing you with full time courses, or has gone out of business, you should register with another training provider, which is on the Government-approved Tier 4 Sponsors Register. Cynthia Barker, Immigration adviser and Centre Manager for Majestic College gives you 7 Steps…Full Story

Cynthia also said that her team would be as “flexible as possible” on initial fees to help students who have lost money with Precision or other failed NVQ colleges.

You can find out more about Majestic College at http://www.majesticcollege.org/ or email them at info@majesticcollege.org.

Drop in visitors welcome – no appointment needed!

How to check out a UK Limited Company

I am often asked by Immigration Matters readers – overseas students or job hunters - if a company offering them a course or work placement is legitimate. The internet has given birth to millions scams including those offering people bogus jobs, usually requiring applicants to send money in advance for Work Permit applications or flights…Full story

UKBA arrest illegal immigrant on his wedding day

The UK Border Agency (UKBA) has arrested and deported an illegal immigrant on his wedding day last week. There were no “many happy returns” from the UKBA as officers arrested the 29 year Jamaican minutes before he was due to marry his British fiancée on Friday 3 July at Birmingham Register Office…Full story

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 http://www.immigrationmatters.co.uk/

How to ‘check out’ a UK company from anywhere in the world

Charles Kelly — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:08:40 +0000

I am often asked by Immigration Matters readers – overseas students or job hunters - if a company offering them a course or work placement is legitimate.

The internet has given birth to millions scams including those offering people bogus jobs, usually requiring applicants to send money in advance for Work Permit applications or flights.

A number of NVQ colleges, such as Affinity and Precision Training UK, have gone out of business recently leaving students ‘high and dry’.

Regulated firms in certain sectors are relatively easy to check. For instance, educational providers offering courses to overseas non EU students must be on the UK Border Agency’s sponsors register.

If you are an international student applying for a course from abroad the first step is to make sure the college is on the official UK Border Agency Tier 4 Sponsors Register.

You can check yourself by going to the UK Border website at – http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/employersandsponsors/pointsbasedsystem/registerofsponsorseducation.

If the provider is not on the register, do not enrol, even if they are in the process of applying.

UK Immigration Advisers are listed on the OISC register, Solicitors are listed with the Law Society and so on.

Please take note. The fact that a company is listed or registered as a business or college is no guarantee that it is legitimate or solvent, or indeed that the person offering you the service is connected with that company.

It is important that you carry out your own ‘due diligence’ and satisfy yourself that a business is sound and that you are actually dealing with that business.

Here are some simple tips on checking out UK limited, or incorporated, companies.

An easy way of checking out any UK registered limited company is to carry out a free Companies House WebCheck on the official companies register at:

http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk/41aa73ba7639ea6c7f306b71541cf968/wcframe?name=accessCompanyInfo

This simple check, which you can do from anywhere in the world, will reveal whether or not the company, or corporation, exists, when it was formed and if it is still in business or ‘Dissolved’.

It will also tell you when they filed their last accounts and if their return is overdue.

For instance, a quick check on Precision Training UK Limited reveals their status as: “Active – Proposal to Strike off”, which means they are about to be struck off and will cease to exist.

Considering the company is still offering courses on its website, this information should warn you to stay well clear of this outfit.

The WebCheck also shows that the company has “No Accounts Filed” and their Annual Return is “Overdue”. This is quite common for new businesses and whilst it does not mean the company is going under, it is not a good sign.

Companies House will not list the details of Sole Traders or partnerships.

You can also purchase a credit report from the many credit referencing agencies, like Experian and Equifax.

But the best way to check out a college is by old fashioned ‘word of mouth’ and references.

Ask around, pick up the phone, visit or send a friend, do your own investigations and you’ll be surprised what you can find out.

There is also a lot of free information available on the internet and services such as Google Earth even allow you to view an address or premises on line.

Embassies and trade associations also provide services to their citizens via their posts.

Finally, use your judgement and common sense – if something seems too good to be true it usually is.

7 Steps for overseas students when your college fails

Cynthia Barker — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 23:08:48 +0000

In light of the recent news that yet another NVQ college has gone out of business, I have put together seven tips or steps to help international students left stranded without an approved educational provider.

Since NVQ provider Precision Training UK closed dozens of students have contacted me for advice. All have lost money and wasted time at Precision, and all risk losing their visas through no fault of their own.

See: Bankrupt NVQ provider Precision Training leaves thousands of Filipino students out of pocket

It reminds me of the time lat year when Affinity Training collapsed leaving thousands of students ‘high and dry’. We were able to assist many of those victims and our team of professional immigration advisers helped some of them obtain visa extensions at a time when they had no proof of studies or portfolios.

SO WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU ARE A VICTIM OF PRECISION OR ANOTHER BANKRUPT COLLEGE?

As a student on a student visa, you must be in ‘full time study in order to comply with your visa conditions.

If your college has ceased to exist or is not providing you with full time study, you should register with another training provider, which is on the Government-approved Tier 4 Sponsors Register.

I am an OISC regisitered qualified Immigration Adviser and Centre Manager of Tier 4 registered NVQ provider http://www.majesticcollege.org/” rel=”nofollow”>Majestic College . Working with Bison UK, I have helped thousands of overseas students and Work Permit holders over the last 10 years. Before you enrol with another college take time to read the following steps, which could help you if your college fails. Here are my:

7 STEPS FOR STUDENTS OF FAILED COLLEGES:

STEP 1 – MAKE SURE THE COLLEGE IS ON THE UK BORDER SPONSORS REGISTER

The first step is to make sure the college is on the official UK Border Agency Tier 4 Sponsors Register, which you can check yourself by going to the UK Border website at: – http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/employersandsponsors/pointsbasedsystem/registerofsponsorseducation.

If the provider is not on the register, do not enrol, even if they are in the process of applying.

At a recent sponsor’s workshop, the UK Border Agency advised that international students on visas should only enrol with educational providers which appear on the Government-approved list. I cannot put it any clearer than that.

STEP 2 – CARRY OUT YOUR OWN ‘DUE DILIGENCE’ AND CHECKS

Do not just rely on the fact that the company is on the sponsors register. The UK Border Agency have approved and placed many colleges on the register which have later gone out of business.

No regulator can monitor a company 24 hours a day or check whether they have filed accounts or paid their bills. Look what happened to the banks!

The UK Border Agency carry out checks before a college is approved, in some cases without an immediate visit, and may not see the college again for another year.

You must carry out your own ‘due diligence’ and satisfy yourself that a college is sound and trustworthy.

One easy way of checking out any UK registered limited company is to carry out a free Companies House WebCheck on the official companies register at: http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk/41aa73ba7639ea6c7f306b71541cf968/wcframe?name=accessCompanyInfo

This simple check, which you can do from anywhere in the world, will reveal whether or not the company, or corporation, exists, when it was formed and if it is still in business or ‘Dissolved’. It will also tell you when they filed their last accounts and if their return is overdue.

For instance, a quick check on Precision Training UK Limited reveals their status as:

“Active – Proposal to Strike off”, which means they are about to be struck off and will cease to exist – finished.

The WebCheck also shows that the company has:

“No Accounts Filed” and their Annual Return is “Overdue”. Not a good sign.

Other ways of verifying a college or business are to purchase a credit check from the many credit referencing agencies. You can also talk to the awarding and accreditation body or the regulator.

But the best way to check out a college is by good old fashioned ‘word of mouth’ – by asking around!

You should also ask the college if you can talk to existing students before parting with your money. They should be happy to let you talk to students.

By asking around and doing your own investigations and detective work you’ll be amazed at what you can find out.

STEP 3 – VISIT THE PREMISES

This is a ‘no brainer’ and yet is neglected by so many people in this internet age. The best way is to drop in unannounced and see what’s going on.

Are the staff friendly and helpful?

Are there any students on the premises and is any training actually taking place?

Does the building and its surroundings look safe?

Most important, how does it ‘feel’, what’s the atmosphere like? Is there ‘life’, or does the place resemble a ‘morgue’?

After all, this is going to be your ‘home’ for a long time so you’d better make sure you feel comfortable before enrolling.

STEP 4 – CHECK TUITION FEES

Are the fees published and are they transparent? How are the fees charged? For instance, do they charge the same fees for local students and international students?

And does the college require a large upfront payment or will they allow you to pay by monthly instalments?

Beware of signing heavy binding contracts which tie you into long term agreements and make it extremely difficult to leave the college. You are entering into an educational arrangement, not a marriage!

STEP 6 – MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR NVQ EVIDENCE AND PORTFOLIO

When Affinity went bust last year hundreds of student lost their work and portfolios. They had nothing to show for their hard work and, importantly, no evidence of ’satisfactory academic progress’ to show the Home Office when renewing their visas.

In some cases your portfolio will be with the college or assessor awaiting verification, which is perfectly normal. But where a college has gone out of business you may have to track down your assessor and do some digging to retrieve your work. The best way to avoid problems is to keep copies of your work.

If you cannot get hold of your portfolio, don’t panic. Talk to your new college and assessor and they will advise you on how to achieve your NVQ award.

STEP 6 – IF IN DOUBT, CONSULT YOUR IMMIGRATION ADVISER

Obviously, as an International Student, you must comply with the immigration rules.

A lot of students and their employers panic and worry when changing training providers or courses. Some employers recommend local training providers which may not be approved to recruit international students.

Do not depend on advice from well-meaning friends, relatives, employers or colleges unless they are authorised to give immigration advice. In most cases they give incorrect advice because they not aware of the rules.

Your immigration adviser can help you with UK Border Agency and visa requirements.

STEP 7 – DON’T SIT THERE WORRYING, TAKE ACTION!

Finally, whatever you do, don’t hide or bury your head in the sand. Take action, do your research and find another college. There’s little point in crying over the money you’ve lost, because the chances are that, like Affinity victims, you are unlikely to get a penny back. Go out and earn some more money and move on with your life.

As both an Immigration Adviser and Manager of Majestic College, (a UK Border Agency registered NVQ college), I am in a unique position to help victims of failed colleges.

My team and I are offering free consultations to any victims of Precision or other colleges which have let them down or taken money from them without providing any training.

Come and talk to us – Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm and we will try to help and advise you.

I give my personal promise that we will be as “flexible as possible” on initial fees for students who have lost money with Precision or other failed providers.

You can find out more about Majestic at www.majesticcollege.org email them at info@majesticcollege.org.

Drop in visitors welcome – no appointment needed!

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

Bankrupt NVQ provider leaves thousands of Filipino students out of pocket

Charles Kelly — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:15:36 +0000

Precision Training UK Ltd, the NVQ provider has reportedly closed its offices in Wembley according to a report by Balita Pinoy.

The online Filipino news resource published the story last week following a series of reports to Immigration Matters that a number of Filipino students had been left “high and dry” after paying hundreds of pounds in upfront fees weeks before the owners of the college disappeared.

Despite this, the company is offering no refunds and will not take any fees paid into account when advising students to sign up with them to continue their training.

During investigations into the affair by Balita Pinoy, a number of issues have come to light it claims:

As many as 4,500 students from the UK, Philippines, Ghana, Bulgaria and other countries may have paid money to Precision, owned by Nichola and Salim Shivji.
NVQ awarding body EDEXCEL had allegedly imposed sanctions against Precision as far back as May 2008, preventing them from taking on new students.

Mrs Monika Holmes, Project Worker for the Migrant Workers Northwest Organization has been contacted by a number of Filipino students and has carried out her own enquiries. Monika said:

“After being contacted by 4 students from the Philippines, we were told that they were very worried as they paid thousand of pounds to Precision Training UK Ltd after being promised NVQ qualifications for very cheap prices.”

Companies House lists Precision Training UK Limited (with the same company number as quoted on Precision’s own website – 06394051) at: 889 HARROW ROAD, SUDBURY, WEMBLEY, MIDDLESEX, HA0 2RH

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU ARE A PRECISION OR VICTIM OF A BANKRUPT COLLEGE?

If you are on a student visa you must be in ‘full time study’ in order to comply with your visa conditions.

You must, therefore, register with another training provider, which is on (not “applying to go on” or “waiting for approval”) the Government-approved Tier 4 Sponsors Register, as soon as possible.

Before you enrol with another college, Cynthia Barker, a qualified Immigration Adviser and Centre Manager of Tier 4 registered NVQ provider http://www.majesticcollege.org/” rel=”nofollow”>Majestic College offers some useful advice to stranded students.

Cynthia has helped thousands of overseas students and Work Permit holders over the last 10 years and offers student seven tips or steps to use when a college fails.

Here are Cynthia’s 7 STEPS:

STEP 1 – MAKE SURE THE COLLEGE IS ON THE UK BORDER SPONSORS REGISTER

The first step is to make sure the college is on the official UK Border Agency Tier 4 Sponsors Register, which you can check yourself by going to the UK Border website at – http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/employersandsponsors/pointsbasedsystem/registerofsponsorseducation.

If the provider is not on the register, do not enrol, even if they are in the process of applying.

STEP 2 – CARRY OUT YOUR OWN ‘DUE DILIGENCE’ AND CHECKS

Do not just rely on the fact that the company is on the sponsors register. The UK Border Agency have approved and placed many colleges on the register which have later gone out of business. No regulator can monitor a company 24 hours a day or check whether they have filed accounts or paid their bills. They carry out checks before a college is approved, in some cases without an immediate visit, and may not see the college again for another year.

You must carry out your own ‘due diligence’ and satisfy yourself that a college is sound.

For instance, a quick check on Precision Training UK Limited reveals their status as: “Active – Proposal to Strike off”, which means they are about to be struck off and will cease to exist. The WebCheck also shows that the company has “No Accounts Filed” and their Annual Return is “Overdue”.

Other ways of verifying a college or business are to purchase a credit check from the many credit referencing agencies, talk to the awarding and accreditation body or the regulator.

But the best way to check out a college is by old fashioned ‘word of mouth’ – asking around. You should also ask the college if you can talk to existing students before parting with your money.

Ask around and do your own investigations and you’ll be surprised what you can find out.

STEP 3 – VISIT THE PREMISES

This is a ‘no brainer’ and yet is neglected by so many people in this internet age. The best way is to drop in unannounced and see what’s going on. Are the staff friendly and helpful? Are there any students on the premises and is any training actually taking place? Does the building and its surroundings look safe? Most important, how does it ‘feel’, what’s the atmosphere like? Is there life, or does the place resemble a morgue?

After all, this is going to be your ‘home’ for a long time so you’d better make sure you feel comfortable before enrolling.

STEP 4 – CHECK TUITION FEES

Are the fees published and are they transparent? How are the fees charged? For instance, do they charge the same fees for local students and international students? And does the college require a large upfront payment or will they allow you to pay by monthly instalments?

STEP 6 – MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR NVQ EVIDENCE AND PORTFOLIO

If you cannot get hold of your portfolio, don’t panic. Talk to your new college and assessor and they will advise you on how to achieve your NVQ award.

STEP 6 – IF IN DOUBT, CONSULT YOUR IMMIGRATION ADVISER

Obviously, as an international student, you must comply with the immigration rules. A lot of students and their employers panic and worry when students plan to move training providers. Some employers recommend local training providers which may not be approved to recruit international students.

Do not depend on advice from well-meaning friends and relatives – they may not be aware of the rules. Your immigration adviser can help you with UK Border Agency and visa problems.

STEP 7 – DON’T SIT THERE WORRYING, TAKE ACTION!

Finally, whatever you do, don’t hide or bury your head in the sand. Take action, do your research and find another college.

There’s little point in crying over the money you’ve lost, because the chances are that, like Affinity victims, you are unlikely to get a penny back. Go out and earn some more money and move on with your life.

Cynthia also said that, as manager of Majestic College, she would be as “flexible as possible” on initial fees with students who have lost money with Precision or other failed NVQ colleges.

You can find out more about Majestic College at www.majesticcollege.org email them at info@majesticcollege.org.

Drop in visitors welcome – no appointment needed!

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

NVQ Student’s visa refusal overturned on appeal but questioned by Immigration Officers

Charles Kelly — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 23:35:19 +0000

“Are you pregnant?”, the Immigration Officer enquired when she landed at London’s Heathrow Airport.

NVQ student, Diane, eventually makes it to London after her entry clearance or visa was refused and later overturned by the British Embassy in Manila, following an appeal by Bison UK.

But on arrival Diane was forced to jump through some further hoops by UK Border Immigration Officers at Heathrow. She was questionned about her intentions to study and then she was sent to the medical section.

Fortunately, she was able to prove she had been examined in the Philippines and did not have to undergo an examination.

She was also asked by officers if she was pregnant – she is not!

The Filipina is taking NVQ Courses at Majestic College in the UK.

She received a warm welcome from the team and fellow students at the NVQ training Centre in Borehamwood, where she met fellow Pinoys. The college helped her with formalities such as opening bank accounts and applying for travel discounts.

She is on a student visa to study NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) in Health and Social Care – www.majesticcollege.org.

Immigration Adviser Bison UK has arranged her visa, appeal and paid work placement in a UK care home.

Visa appeals have been abolished for student visa refusals applying under Tier 4 in line with new ‘points based’ rules. Students refused entry clearance under Tier 4 of the points based system, which took effect on 31 March 2009, will now have their cases reviewed by an ECM (Entry Clearance Manager) under the new ‘Administrative Review’ system.

Refusals under paragraph 57 of the previous immigration rules will still be allowed a full appeal. Therefore, if your student visa application (VAF) was submitted before 31 March 2009, you should still have the right of appeal.

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