Non-European Economic Area nationals using ‘risky’ fake documents are undermining businesses, English language schools say
Sudesh Jeewon of Dublin College of Advanced Studies, which learned of the scam eight months ago. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónailllanguage school – only he has never attended a class, and he paid a scammer €1,150 for the false documentation before his arrival in Ireland.
“Somebody was trying to come in with a fake letter,” Jeewon says. “It is something serious as these people are not coming to school. They’re getting forged letters.” Then, using this fake documentation, “they’re going to the Immigration and getting their visas”. “We may have to close another three classes due to the decrease in enrolments. We’re losing out big time. We’ve 250 students registered with us today, but our capacity is 460.”One of the letters that came to Jeewon’s attention was used earlier this year by a Brazilian woman, it had simple mistakes and some key information missing, he says. “We don’t know how many people have used forged letters because we are only aware of those checked by immigration. It could be 20, 30 or it could be 100.
He says this time last year NED College had 950 students enrolled. Today, they have 829. “It could be a hangover from the pandemic,” he says, after the visa renewal system became 100 per cent online, with in-person applications limited to first entries into the State. Dublin College of Advanced Studies on Capel Street, Dublin, currently has 250 students. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
Dublin-based school owners say they are creating new protocols with their letters to make cheating more difficult. Russell says the fake letter scam “could be stopped very simply. It just requires the GNIB to have a little joined-up thinking and co-operate with schools.” He recalls the ELE industry had a crises “in 2012-2013, because of certain schools and individuals who were doing the wrong thing and selling attendance, basically facilitating visa fraud”.
A few weeks after her visa application was denied, Ana made a new application attempt within the ISD online system; this time, she used a fake letter from another Dublin school. She dealt with another scammer who claimed “to have deals” with the school and she paid €1,800 for the forged documentation. Ana was told she would be officially registered with the school.
“I’m sure there’s also potential for huge, big penalties, financial penalties. Obviously, it’s detrimental to the reputation of international education in Ireland if it’s not rectified,” O’Connor Lloyd says.
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