Bogus references help students win residency

July 26, 2008, the Australian:

Private vocational colleges were increasingly using the federal Government's Migration Occupations in Demand List to promote hairdressing and cooking as what one disillusioned former college teacher described as "the easiest, cheapest and fastest way for students to get permanent residency".

Before students doing trade courses can apply for permanent residency, they need a trade certificate III and references saying they've completed 900 hours of work experience ...

Fraudulent references are also showing up in hairdressing, says Ruth Browne, director of Pivot Point International Academy in Melbourne, one of 2000 Pivot Point colleges in 72 countries: "I've heard there's all these scams with students paying for the industry validation certificates of 900 hours work experience. It just seems to be rife. It's a well-known fact within the international education industry that some migration agents are providing documents for required working hours; students don't even have to go to a salon to do it. But salon owners tell me some kids come in and say, 'I'm happy to work for nothing or my agent can arrange it."' ...

Melbourne migration lawyer Michael Clothier says: "I have so many clients abandon their courses in maths and science to take up hairdressing and commercial cookery because its easier to get permanent residence. One of the enticements to get people to the 'arse end of the world' to do their studies is that they can get (permanent residence) at the end of it." In fact some of the students who have come to him for migration advice were confused about the fact they actually had to attend classes, Clothier says. "They thought the fix was in."
That's the fate of nondescript-global-village civic nationalism: self-destruction. Yay team diversity!

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