279 Chinese students in NZ visa fraud scam
By Cai Wenjun |
July 13, 2012, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
NEW Zealand authorities are investigating a scam in which at least 279 Chinese students received visas by fraudulent means over the past year.
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) officials said on Wednesday that they had launched an investigation to find and interview those who had obtained visas using fake qualifications and falsified bank statements.
The fraudulent applications were thought to have begun in July last year and were uncovered a month ago, when a random sampling of 1,800 applications at the agency's Beijing branch found more than 15 percent, or 279, contained some element of fraud. Of the total, 48 students had either left New Zealand or had not arrived.
The Chinese Embassy in New Zealand said yesterday that this was a single issue that wouldn't affect education and talent exchanges between the two countries.
An embassy official said it was closely following the development of the case but was confident the New Zealand government would protect Chinese students' legal rights.
So far, no students or their parents had contacted the embassy for assistance, the embassy official told China News Service yesterday.
According to the New Zealand Herald, the students holding visas obtained fraudulently were enrolled in 20 English language schools and immigration officials were tracking down the 231 students in the country who had been given visas through INZ's Beijing office. Sixty had visas which had expired, and these students could be deported, the newspaper said.
The investigation has found that two agents - in Beijing and Shanghai - were involved in the fraudulent visa scam and an investigator has travelled to Beijing to ascertain whether INZ's Chinese staff are involved.
INZ officials said that the students involved would not necessarily have their right to stay in the country canceled. Each case would be dealt with separately over the next few weeks.
Some of the students may have been misled and may not have been aware that fraud was involved in obtaining their visas, officials said.
One 23-year-old Chinese student spoke to the Herald on condition of anonymity. He said he paid an agent US$18,000 for his application - which included obtaining a fake university degree to support his case.
China is the biggest source of international students to New Zealand.
The country receives some 25,000 applications from Chinese students each year.
Many of them view a student visa as a bridge to residency and over the past 10 years 20 percent of international students have become permanent New Zealand citizens.
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) officials said on Wednesday that they had launched an investigation to find and interview those who had obtained visas using fake qualifications and falsified bank statements.
The fraudulent applications were thought to have begun in July last year and were uncovered a month ago, when a random sampling of 1,800 applications at the agency's Beijing branch found more than 15 percent, or 279, contained some element of fraud. Of the total, 48 students had either left New Zealand or had not arrived.
The Chinese Embassy in New Zealand said yesterday that this was a single issue that wouldn't affect education and talent exchanges between the two countries.
An embassy official said it was closely following the development of the case but was confident the New Zealand government would protect Chinese students' legal rights.
So far, no students or their parents had contacted the embassy for assistance, the embassy official told China News Service yesterday.
According to the New Zealand Herald, the students holding visas obtained fraudulently were enrolled in 20 English language schools and immigration officials were tracking down the 231 students in the country who had been given visas through INZ's Beijing office. Sixty had visas which had expired, and these students could be deported, the newspaper said.
The investigation has found that two agents - in Beijing and Shanghai - were involved in the fraudulent visa scam and an investigator has travelled to Beijing to ascertain whether INZ's Chinese staff are involved.
INZ officials said that the students involved would not necessarily have their right to stay in the country canceled. Each case would be dealt with separately over the next few weeks.
Some of the students may have been misled and may not have been aware that fraud was involved in obtaining their visas, officials said.
One 23-year-old Chinese student spoke to the Herald on condition of anonymity. He said he paid an agent US$18,000 for his application - which included obtaining a fake university degree to support his case.
China is the biggest source of international students to New Zealand.
The country receives some 25,000 applications from Chinese students each year.
Many of them view a student visa as a bridge to residency and over the past 10 years 20 percent of international students have become permanent New Zealand citizens.
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