Education 2.2

Student 'Scams' provide yet another back door into Britain

Further evidence that current procedures are failing to prevent major scams within the immigration system is revealed in a new report out today from think-tank Migrationwatch.

Research by the group into Home Office statistics reveals serious doubts about the number of students being allowed to extend their stay in Britain, raising concerns that it is yet another back door into Britain.

In the case of students from just one country - Jamaica - in the period 2001/03 - 1690 students were admitted but 27,525 more had their stays extended, even though official records show there are only 780 Jamaican students in the country!

Once again it underlines the chaos that exists in the system and makes a mockery of the claim by the Prime Minster recently that immigration is under control, said Sir Andrew Green, Chairman of Migrationwatch. How can they possibly have granted so many extensions over a three year period without anyone realising that there must be some major scams in operation?

The groups analysis is drawn from Home Office immigration statistics published recently (CM 633) which show an increase in student extensions of 48% over the previous year to reach 190,215.

A comparison between the number of students admitted to Britain from each country over the past three years and the number granted extension in that period shows some surprising results. For Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Australia, Mexico, Russia, Czech Republic and Cyprus extensions were less than 25% of student admissions over the same period. For the USA, by far the largest source of students at 195,000, only 2% sought extensions. (See table below).

By contrast, extensions were close to 100% of admissions for countries such as Lithuania, Ukraine, Trinidad, Ghana, Mauritius, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Sri Lanka.

This high percentage may be partially accounted for by the fact that students may re-apply for extensions provided that they have evidence of financial support and a letter offering them a place. Those who arrive as visitors from countries for which visas are required are not permitted to switch to student status. If they do not require visas they may do so.

None of this, however, explains the two most remarkable results, said Sir Andrew.

In the period 2001 2003 4,270 students were admitted from Zimbabwe but, in the same period no less than 25,420 extensions were approved. For Jamaica the figures are even more startling. 1,690 were admitted and 27,525 were extended. By contrast, according to a recent Parliamentary Answer [HL 4832] the number of Zimbabwean and Jamaican students in UK Higher Educational Institutions in 2002/3 was only 2,850 and 780 respectively.

Visas were introduced for Zimbabweans in Nov 2002 and for Jamaicans in Jan 2003 but the number of extensions granted to students continued to rise.

"It is no wonder that public trust in the Governments immigration policies is at an all time low," he said.

Student visa extensions

The following table shows the number of students given leave to enter the UK in 2001-3 and extensions under the student category in 2001-3 - both sets of data with totals for the 3 years. The final column is total extensions as a percentage of admissions for this period - I.e. anything over 100% means there have been more extensions than admissions (or, for example, that more than half the students concerned have made two applications for extensions).

	Entry				Extensions				Ratio
	2001	2002	2003	Total	2001	2002	2003	Total
Cyprus	2330	2210	2160	6700	170	215	510	895	13%
Czech Republic	3610	4710	4690	13010	730	985	1115	2830	22%
Hungary	3040	3540	3560	10140	410	515	755	1680	17%
Lithuania	1730	2450	1900	6080	1735	1975	2135	5845	96%
Poland	14300	18400	17600	50300	3365	4940	8050	16355	33%
Russia	12600	15100	13100	40800	595	845	1375	2815	7%
Slovakia	1330	1840	2120	5290	745	135	1130	2010	38%
Turkey	5960	6510	5080	17550	2480	20	3135	5635	32%
Ukraine	2950	2860	1740	7550	2425	2750	2510	7685	102%
Other Former USSR	4020	4960	4860	13840	750	1735	2915	5400	39%

	Entry				Extensions				Ratio
Brazil	10700	9700	8840	29240	3395	4635	7530	15560	53%
Colombia	2970	3010	2590	8570	2140	2230	2485	6855	80%
Jamaica	640	625	425	1690	5115	9190	13220	27525	1629%
Mexico	4100	5240	4550	13890	395	530	780	1705	12%
Trinidad	450	505	395	1350	565	675	1000	2240	166%
USA	64500	69200	61300	195000	730	915	1565	3210	2%

	Entry				Extensions				Ratio
Ghana	2460	2890	2830	8180	1965	3130	4500	9595	117%
Kenya	1920	1980	1480	5380	1010	1315	1855	4180	78%
Libya	2670	3130	2330	8130	855	1260	1795	3910	48%
Mauritius	1180	1210	1810	4200	890	1280	2260	4430	105%
Nigeria	3220	4320	4310	11850	2170	2840	4250	9260	78%
Sierra Leone	260	355	460	1075	210	275	530	1015	94%
South Africa	1300	1380	1370	4050	1715	2250	3300	7265	179%
Tanzania	910	905	820	2635	815	1170	1410	3395	129%
Uganda	990	1290	1330	3610	680	930	1665	3275	91%
Zimbabwe	1700	1780	790	4270	5810	9075	10535	25420	595%

	Entry				Extensions				Ratio
Bangladesh	1520	2370	2590	6480	780	1195	2360	4335	67%
India	8260	13300	15400	36960	2080	4390	10055	16525	45%
Pakistan	4860	3870	6730	15460	2405	4105	5700	12210	79%

	Entry				Extensions				Ratio
Iran	810	1000	1190	3000	470	665	990	2125	71%
Saudi	2280	2500	2780	7560	385	535	805	1725	23%
Syria	670	530	545	1745	400	445	520	1365	78%

	Entry				Extensions				Ratio
China	27000	42700	30200	99900	10190	19810	36195	66195	66%
Hong Kong	8030	8140	5740	21910	935	1295	825	3055	14%
Japan	35000	32500	26600	94100	2885	3275	5200	11360	12%
Malaysia	7600	8260	6770	22630	2310	2855	4030	9195	41%
Singapore	2010	2360	1800	6170	190	240	510	940	15%
South Korea	12900	14600	12600	40100	2145	2770	4300	9215	23%
Sri Lanka	1970	1740	1840	5550	1415	2070	2630	6115	110%
Taiwan	6890	8990	5650	21530	1460	2015	2135	5610	26%
Thailand	3470	4100	3900	11470	1565	1850	2380	5795	51%

	Entry				Extensions				Ratio
Australia	1850	1740	2170	5760	355	390	565	1310	23%

1 December, 2004