0:00:02 > 0:00:06Almost a quarter of a million visas each year are granted
0:00:06 > 0:00:10to foreign students and their families to come to the UK.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12But tonight, Panorama uncovers
0:00:12 > 0:00:15blatant frauds within Britain's immigration system.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18From outright cheating in Government-approved exams,
0:00:18 > 0:00:22where someone takes your English test for you...
0:00:27 > 0:00:31..and multiple-choice exams, where they give you all the answers...
0:00:35 > 0:00:37I am very surprised. Oh, God!
0:00:37 > 0:00:39SHE LAUGHS
0:00:39 > 0:00:41It's very nice marks, but it's totally fake.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46..to a thriving market in bogus documents.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49I have been talking to the UK Border Agency.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52They need to look at this crime as an organised crime.
0:00:53 > 0:00:58We reveal how our immigration system itself is wide open to abuse.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01The Government has created a marketplace for fraud.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03There's been a free-for-all for the agents,
0:01:03 > 0:01:07there's been a free-for-all for people who deal in false documents.
0:01:07 > 0:01:12And how some so-called students are staying on in Britain illegally.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14What Panorama has uncovered is extremely important,
0:01:14 > 0:01:17it's very shocking and I want to do something about it.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37This is a story about systematic immigration fraud.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43We're sent genuine overseas students undercover to reveal
0:01:43 > 0:01:47flagrant abuses in the student visa system.
0:01:48 > 0:01:53I gave him money for all things like banks, back reports, cash letters.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56For everything, I gave him money.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00Most of the students come here to work. College is just an excuse.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04- So it's a way to get in the country on a student visa?- Yes.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07We want the best and the brightest students in the world
0:02:07 > 0:02:09to come and choose our universities.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13For the last year, Panorama's been filming undercover
0:02:13 > 0:02:17in Britain's immigration system, following a network of agents
0:02:17 > 0:02:21helping bogus students obtain visas through fraud.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25The Government wants to attract high-flyers to Britain.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28The Prime Minister says they've cracked down on fraud.
0:02:28 > 0:02:29Then, of course,
0:02:29 > 0:02:32there was a student tier which was so unselective
0:02:32 > 0:02:35that it allowed people who didn't speak a word of English
0:02:35 > 0:02:38to come and study at low level or even bogus colleges.
0:02:38 > 0:02:43In other words, places that weren't really colleges of education at all.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47Student visas are the biggest source of non-EU immigration into the UK.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53More than 200,000 are issued abroad each year.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56Another 100,000 people already in the UK
0:02:56 > 0:02:59get their student visas extended by the Home Office.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Our investigation proves fraud is rife.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Here's how it works. To get a visa, the Government insists
0:03:10 > 0:03:14foreign students must be proficient in English.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18They've increased down-the-line interviews of applicants
0:03:18 > 0:03:19to root out fraud.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22All right, then, sir, have you understood all of my questions today?
0:03:24 > 0:03:25But we reveal how fraudsters
0:03:25 > 0:03:28are getting around the English language barrier.
0:03:32 > 0:03:33Our story begins a year ago,
0:03:33 > 0:03:37when we were tipped off about an immigration consultancy business
0:03:37 > 0:03:41called Studentway Education in Southall, West London.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44The Home Office rules are crystal-clear.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46If you don't pass the English exam,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49you don't qualify for a student visa.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53We were told Studentway could help get people around the Government's
0:03:53 > 0:03:57compulsory English language tests, even if they spoke no English.
0:04:00 > 0:04:05We found three students, already in the UK legally, to go undercover.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07One went to Studentway
0:04:07 > 0:04:10posing as an existing student wanting to extend his visa.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Can this really be right?
0:04:28 > 0:04:32They guarantee we can pass the compulsory English exam?
0:04:32 > 0:04:36Time to send in our second undercover,
0:04:36 > 0:04:40this time claiming to speak hardly any English.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43She met Studentway director Varinder Bajarh,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46who explained how they fool the exam board.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58So, he said someone else will take the test for her,
0:04:58 > 0:05:00but it comes at a price.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05A guaranteed pass will cost £500.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15Studentway sent our undercover to sit the exam
0:05:15 > 0:05:18at Eden College International in East London,
0:05:18 > 0:05:20approved as a secure exam centre.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27Our undercover turned up for her exam, registered,
0:05:27 > 0:05:29and was sent upstairs.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36While the candidates head into the exam room,
0:05:36 > 0:05:40someone appears at the entrance and padlocks shut the front gates.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44Could this be to stall any raid by the authorities?
0:05:44 > 0:05:45It's not a one-off.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49We've seen this happen here five times when exams are taking place.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57Inside, our researcher makes her way to a secure computer terminal
0:05:57 > 0:06:00linked up to a Government-approved testing company.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03She's approached by an invigilator, who logs her on.
0:06:07 > 0:06:08OK.
0:06:10 > 0:06:11The test is a TOEIC,
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Teaching of English for International Communication,
0:06:14 > 0:06:18accepted by the Government for visa applications.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23With all the candidates in their places, new people enter the room.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26Our undercover asks what's happening.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39Remarkably, there's a fake sitter for every candidate.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41And ours sounds like a local.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49LONDON ACCENT:
0:07:00 > 0:07:04While the new arrivals don their headsets, ready to start,
0:07:04 > 0:07:07the genuine candidates stand aside.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11The first test - describe in English what you see on screen.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25The fake sitters start answering questions in perfect English,
0:07:25 > 0:07:28questions set for the real candidates.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42With the paid cheats hard at work, the visa applicants
0:07:42 > 0:07:46are called to the front in turn, to have their photograph taken.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Proof they've sat the exam here.
0:07:50 > 0:07:55Next, the fake sitters complete the candidates' written English tests.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Once they've finished,
0:07:57 > 0:08:02invigilators submit the papers electronically to the exam board.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06It's a busy operation. Our fake sitter heads off
0:08:06 > 0:08:09to a different class, to help another candidate.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19We never discovered her full name and were unable to trace her.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27With the first half of the exam complete,
0:08:27 > 0:08:30our undercover's well on her way to securing
0:08:30 > 0:08:33the English qualification she needs for her visa.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41We asked a former Border Agency immigration officer
0:08:41 > 0:08:43about our investigation.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47Jay Sudra knows the student visa system first-hand.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49The Government have placed
0:08:49 > 0:08:54such a big emphasis on sort of students speaking proper English,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57and speaking it at an acceptable level,
0:08:57 > 0:09:01and, where you're having fraud issues, it really sort of damages
0:09:01 > 0:09:05the credibility of this entire visa process.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11Eden College International, where our undercover sat the exam,
0:09:11 > 0:09:15is a trusted sponsor of overseas students,
0:09:15 > 0:09:17fully approved by the Home Office.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21A week later, our undercover is back at the college.
0:09:24 > 0:09:29This time, there are no fake sitters as the exam papers are handed out.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33Our undercover's actually going to have to sit the exam herself?
0:09:38 > 0:09:41This second exam is multiple choice.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44But this is multiple choice with a difference.
0:09:56 > 0:10:01Unbelievably, the invigilator is simply reading out the answers.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05All our undercover needed to know was that alpha meant tick box A,
0:10:05 > 0:10:08beta meant box B, and so on.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29Having been given the answers to all 200 questions,
0:10:29 > 0:10:33it took the two dozen or so candidates just seven minutes
0:10:33 > 0:10:35to complete the two-hour exam.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38A few days later, this arrives -
0:10:38 > 0:10:42a brand-new, crisp, original exam certificate from TOEIC.
0:10:42 > 0:10:47Remember, that's a body approved by the UK Border Agency. Guess what?
0:10:47 > 0:10:50She did brilliantly well in her exam.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53Our undercover scored highly in all three tests,
0:10:53 > 0:10:56getting 100% in her spoken English.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00No surprise, really, given her fake sitter was doing all the talking.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04I caught up with our undercover researcher
0:11:04 > 0:11:07after she'd got the results.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11I don't think it's a proper exam. I think it's a fake exam.
0:11:11 > 0:11:16Because he's shouting an answer and we are just writing down quickly.
0:11:16 > 0:11:21Your score was probably in the top 20% of students in this country.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25Yes, I'm very surprised. Oh, God! SHE LAUGHS
0:11:25 > 0:11:28It's very nice marks, but it's totally fake.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33We showed the TOEIC exam certificate to Toaha Qureshi
0:11:33 > 0:11:37who runs a respected private college in South London.
0:11:37 > 0:11:38This is a very high score
0:11:38 > 0:11:43and TOEIC is obviously approved by UK Border Agency.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47If a student comes to us with this certificate, we will accept that.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52'We asked the Home Secretary to look at our footage.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55'We showed her both fake exams.'
0:11:55 > 0:11:57Well, I mean, that's incredible.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59I knew there was abuse in the system, but well done
0:11:59 > 0:12:03for actually uncovering the further abuse that is taking place.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06What you've shown here is people being able to effectively
0:12:06 > 0:12:09go into a situation where that has been faked for them.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12That's a matter of grave concern.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15'..and, for more than 10,000 organisations worldwide,
0:12:15 > 0:12:18'there's one trusted choice - the TOEIC Program.'
0:12:18 > 0:12:23The exam sat by our undercover was part of this programme.
0:12:23 > 0:12:24TOEIC is run by ETS,
0:12:24 > 0:12:28one of the biggest English language testing companies in the world.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32They employ thousands globally and assess 50 million tests a year.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34The company told us...
0:12:44 > 0:12:48Eden College International strongly deny any prior knowledge of
0:12:48 > 0:12:51or complicity in the fraud, but they did admit that,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54earlier last year, they investigated allegations
0:12:54 > 0:12:58against three freelance TOEIC exam invigilators.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01They say their findings were not conclusive,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03but their contracts were not renewed, and they said
0:13:03 > 0:13:07they took swift action to improve invigilation and monitoring.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12They told us locking the gates on exam days
0:13:12 > 0:13:15was standard procedure to minimise disruption.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20Of course, you need more than just an English test
0:13:20 > 0:13:24to get a student visa. In fact, you need three crucial documents.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28You need an educational back record to prove you're a bona fide student,
0:13:28 > 0:13:30you need a bank statement
0:13:30 > 0:13:33to show that you've got the funds to study and live in the UK,
0:13:33 > 0:13:38and you need written confirmation from a Home Office-approved college.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41Surely you can't fiddle all three?
0:13:43 > 0:13:47Back at Studentway, our undercover was told by an agent
0:13:47 > 0:13:51that you could simply buy fake academic qualifications
0:13:51 > 0:13:53known as back records.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08Another undercover also buys a fake back record.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11And, within days, it's ready to collect.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14And who hands it over in a sealed envelope?
0:14:14 > 0:14:18The former chairman of Studentway, Hement Kumar.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22Hement Kumar told us he would never take part in any fraud
0:14:22 > 0:14:25as he is a Home Office-approved immigration advisor.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32With an English certificate and an academic record in the bag,
0:14:32 > 0:14:35we're halfway to extending a UK study visa.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40Immigration rules mean that non-EU students at private colleges
0:14:40 > 0:14:43are not allowed to take paid work over here.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46That's why they have to show bank statements
0:14:46 > 0:14:48proving they have enough money to support themselves.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50But what if they don't?
0:14:52 > 0:14:56At Studentway, one of the agents, Vinod, has a solution.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58For a fee, of course.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18This seems like straightforward identity theft.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21Vinod, the agent, is proposing to steal the bank details
0:15:21 > 0:15:24of someone with the same name as our undercover
0:15:24 > 0:15:26and pass them off as hers.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30The previous day, he'd boasted about how many banks he could target.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54Sure enough, two weeks later, Vinod delivers on his promise,
0:15:54 > 0:15:58and produces a statement that makes our fake student
0:15:58 > 0:16:04appear very rich indeed, to the tune of tens of thousands of pounds.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10Even Studentway's director, Varinder Bajarh, is impressed.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20The statement we bought was from Axis Bank,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23one of the biggest private banks in India.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26It's approved by the Home Office for visa applications.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28And it certainly made our student
0:16:28 > 0:16:30look like a very good prospect indeed.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41We traced the real owner of this account to Mumbai, India.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45She agreed to be filmed, but didn't want to be named.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47All the information is correct.
0:16:47 > 0:16:52The transactions, the customer ID, my address, everything is accurate.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55'It's absolutely scary to think that,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58'just because I have the same name as someone
0:16:58 > 0:17:01'who's seeking a UK student visa, I've been subjected to this.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03'It's not fair.'
0:17:03 > 0:17:06It's a breach of confidence. It's a breach of privacy.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09It's a breach of trust, and it's a breach of ethics.
0:17:10 > 0:17:15This is sophisticated fraud, to get around all the security measures
0:17:15 > 0:17:18at the third biggest private bank in India.
0:17:18 > 0:17:19Axis Bank told us...
0:17:25 > 0:17:29We understand that Axis Bank has suspended several staff
0:17:29 > 0:17:33suspected of corruption, following our tip-off.
0:17:33 > 0:17:34But how easy is it
0:17:34 > 0:17:39for Border Agency officials to detect this type of fraud?
0:17:39 > 0:17:41With that sort of scam,
0:17:41 > 0:17:45it would be very, very difficult to try and detect.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49Do you spend an hour or two trying to sort out one bank statement
0:17:49 > 0:17:55or do have you to deal with 50, 60 visa cases during your working day?
0:17:57 > 0:18:00It's not just foreign bank statements.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02At another immigration agency,
0:18:02 > 0:18:05Bright Consultant Services, in East London, we were offered
0:18:05 > 0:18:09a forged British bank statement by the boss, Fasih Mohammed.
0:18:30 > 0:18:35The fake Barclays statement showing more than £9,000
0:18:35 > 0:18:39was part of an all-in package deal of dodgy documents
0:18:39 > 0:18:42to secure a visa extension of at least a year.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44The cost - £2,800.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50Using our undercover's real bank statement, the agents promised
0:18:50 > 0:18:54a forged one which would pass any Home Office scrutiny.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01And here it is. It looks as though our undercover researcher
0:19:01 > 0:19:03has suddenly come into the money.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07This is her real bank statement, showing a balance of less than £100.
0:19:07 > 0:19:12The forged statement shows a balance of almost £10,000.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17'For those who run respected private colleges,
0:19:17 > 0:19:21'these types of frauds are frustratingly common.'
0:19:21 > 0:19:25Well, this seems to be Barclays' genuine bank statement.
0:19:25 > 0:19:30If we told you we paid £500 for that, and it's completely fake?
0:19:30 > 0:19:32It wouldn't surprise me,
0:19:32 > 0:19:38because, in the UK, there are a lot of activities of this nature
0:19:38 > 0:19:41and I have been talking to the UK Border Agency
0:19:41 > 0:19:45that they need to look at this crime as an organised crime.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51We now have to look at the sort of documents people are providing
0:19:51 > 0:19:54and look at the kind of scams being undertaken behind that.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56It's a constant battle,
0:19:56 > 0:19:58but it's a battle I'm willing to continue to take on.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04We've found a thriving market in bogus documents.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06We've bought English exams,
0:20:06 > 0:20:10fake academic records and fraudulent bank statements,
0:20:10 > 0:20:14all through a network of immigration agents.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17But even all of this won't be enough to get us a visa extension
0:20:17 > 0:20:22if the agents can't get us a place at a Home Office-approved college.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27The Government updates its list of approved colleges every day.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30There are currently around 1,700 on this list.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34More than 1,300 are what's known as "highly-trusted"
0:20:34 > 0:20:37because they've passed regular Home Office inspections.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47Back at Bright Consultant Services in East Ham,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50our second undercover is told that getting a place
0:20:50 > 0:20:52at a highly-trusted college will be no problem.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13So our undercover made it clear he's here to work illegally.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31For a fee, she's offering to guarantee a place
0:21:31 > 0:21:34at any one of 80 Home Office-approved colleges.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50All colleges charge course fees.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53Back at Studentway, our other undercover was offered a place
0:21:53 > 0:21:57at a highly-trusted college with close links to Studentway.
0:22:26 > 0:22:31The college the agent's recommended, Leyton College, is in East London.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34Studentway's former chairman, Hement Kumar,
0:22:34 > 0:22:37was also company secretary here.
0:22:37 > 0:22:38Hi, how are you?
0:22:40 > 0:22:42Studentway sends our undercover,
0:22:42 > 0:22:46armed with all the dodgy documents they've supplied, to Leyton College.
0:22:50 > 0:22:55Her papers are accepted as genuine by the college co-ordinator
0:22:55 > 0:22:58who issues what's known as a CAS document,
0:22:58 > 0:23:00a confirmation of acceptance for study
0:23:00 > 0:23:04generated by the Home Office's central database.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08That's everything our undercover needs to extend her study visa
0:23:08 > 0:23:11and remain in Britain for another year.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14And here it is - the final piece of the jigsaw.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16This confirmation of a college place
0:23:16 > 0:23:19has been accepted by the Home Office.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22We now have all the documents we need to apply for a student visa.
0:23:24 > 0:23:29We bought the entire package from Studentway for £2,800.
0:23:29 > 0:23:34The beauty of this fraud is that the documents all seem genuine,
0:23:34 > 0:23:35making it almost impossible
0:23:35 > 0:23:39for colleges or immigration officials to spot.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42Leyton College denies any wrongdoing.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48And the key players at Studentway Education all deny fraud.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54Hement Kumar resigned as a director of Studentway last April,
0:23:54 > 0:23:58but continues working there as a immigration advisor.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01He also resigned from Leyton College last month,
0:24:01 > 0:24:04the day after we presented our allegations.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09Studentway director, Varinder Bajarh, told us the agency
0:24:09 > 0:24:14is a respected organisation, adding, "We're not a visa machine."
0:24:14 > 0:24:18He distanced himself from the other men caught on camera,
0:24:18 > 0:24:22Vinod Kumar and Harinder Layhal, saying they were never employees,
0:24:22 > 0:24:26but may have used the office without his knowledge.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29But here's Varinder with Vinod in our footage
0:24:29 > 0:24:34and this Studentway staff photo shows him next to Harinder.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38It's clear from our investigation
0:24:38 > 0:24:41that the student visa system is riddled with fraud.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44The Government has created a marketplace for fraud.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47It's created such a weak system that fraudsters have thought,
0:24:47 > 0:24:49"Hold on, this is a weak system, let's abuse it."
0:24:49 > 0:24:52And the Government haven't done anything to tackle it.
0:24:52 > 0:24:53It's been an open free-for-all.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55It's been a free-for-all for the agents,
0:24:55 > 0:24:59it's been a free-for-all for the people who deal in false documents.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02And how will this course help you with your future plans?
0:25:02 > 0:25:06The Government says it's determined to stop the free-for-all.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10But with more than half a million visas to process each year,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13rooting out all fraud is a hard task.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18We've been able to buy fake bank documents,
0:25:18 > 0:25:23fraudulently-acquired English exams, we've got bogus academic records.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26I mean, the whole system appears chaotic.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29We've done a lot over the last 3½ years. We've rooted out abuse.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32The numbers of student visas has gone down
0:25:32 > 0:25:34and the amount of abuse has gone down,
0:25:34 > 0:25:37but it's clear that people are finding other ways around the system.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Remember our bogus English exam in East London?
0:25:42 > 0:25:45A perfect illustration of the way the system
0:25:45 > 0:25:50is currently being subverted, and it was by no means a one-off.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53One of our undercover students was sent to
0:25:53 > 0:25:56the Universal Training Centre in Watford.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59While fake sitters took the English exam,
0:25:59 > 0:26:02the real candidates relaxed in the next-door classroom.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04Some even snoozed.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09An invigilator explains to the candidates,
0:26:09 > 0:26:14including our undercover, what they have to do in the event of a raid.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32'There were about 14 to 15 different students from different countries
0:26:32 > 0:26:36'and they could hardly speak a word of English.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39'We were approached by one of the examiners in that room'
0:26:39 > 0:26:42and then he came and he goes, "If in case there's a raid,
0:26:42 > 0:26:44"you will have to go back and sit back on your seats."
0:26:47 > 0:26:49A few days later, our undercover
0:26:49 > 0:26:53collects his English exam certificate from Fasih Mohammed,
0:26:53 > 0:26:56director of Bright Consultant Services.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01We've attempted to contact Bright Consultant Services
0:27:01 > 0:27:03on several occasions.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06They've failed to respond to our letters
0:27:06 > 0:27:08and their offices appear to be abandoned.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12Universal Training Centre in Watford told us...
0:27:27 > 0:27:29Critics blame successive governments
0:27:29 > 0:27:32for making things too easy for the fraudsters.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38You put a bone in front of a dog, they're bound to pick it up
0:27:38 > 0:27:40and this is what's happened. There were a lot of dogs out there
0:27:40 > 0:27:43and the Government just kept on throwing them bones.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46I think the Government has done a huge amount to root out fraud.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49We have significantly changed the student visa system.
0:27:49 > 0:27:50As a result,
0:27:50 > 0:27:53700 colleges are no longer able to bring non-EU students in.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56But there is clearly more that we need to do.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00- We have to be ever-vigilant in this area.- But it's still going on.
0:28:00 > 0:28:01But in the immigration world,
0:28:01 > 0:28:05you can never say you've done everything, you always have to look,
0:28:05 > 0:28:08because people will look for the new way round the system.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12As a result of our investigation,
0:28:12 > 0:28:17the Home Office has suspended all English exams run by ETS.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21They've also suspended the two colleges
0:28:21 > 0:28:24we filmed secretly, pending investigation.
0:28:25 > 0:28:32What's clear is the UK student visa system remains an easy target.