뉴질랜드 학생비자 불법 취득한 중국 유학생 300여명, 조사중

뉴질랜드 이민성의 조사 결과, 오클랜드 지역 20여개의 사설 어학원에서 어학연수 중인 300여명의 중국 학생들이 위조된 학생비자 또는 불법으로 취득한 학생비자를 소지하고 있는 것으로 밝혀졌다.   

이런 허위. 위조 학생비자는  뉴질랜드 이민성의 베이징 사무소에서 발급된 것으로  대부분 위조된 학력 증명서나 허위 은행 잔고증명서를 통해 취득된 것이었다.   

베이징 사무소에서 이렇게 불법 발급된  237건의  학생비자 소지자 이외에도  심지어 60명의 중국 어학연수생들은 이미 학생비자가 만료된 상태였기 때문에 곧 출국될 것이라고 INZ은 밝혔다.

 70여명의 중국 유학생들이 위조된 학생비자로 오클랜드의 2개 어학원에서 어학연수 중인 것으로 밝혀졌는데 

 베이징에 위치한 2명의 에이전트에 대한  조사가 진행되고 있다.  

 뉴질랜드에 어학연수, 유학오는 중국 학생들은 매해 약 25,000명으로 집계되고 있다. 

Almost 300 Chinese nationals with fraudulent student visas are enrolled across 20 English language private training providers in Auckland, but there is no evidence the language schools knew of the fraud.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) launched an investigation today to find and interview those who obtained visas using fake qualifications and falsified bank statements.

Two English language schools had 70 of the Chinese students with fraudulent student visas between them.

INZ would not disclose the names of the 20 language schools but directors of some English language schools contacted in Auckland were believed to be meeting to discuss the findings.

Head of Immigration New Zealand Steve Stuart said officials were trying to track down 231 people who had been given fraudulent visas through INZ's Beijing office. Sixty had visas that had expired, and the students could be deported.

Acting Immigration Minister Kate Wilkinson and Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce said it appeared two agents in Beijing and Shanghai facilitated the fraudulent student visas.

Routine random sampling found 279 visa applications contained some form of fraud - 48 of those students had either left the country or had not arrived.

New Zealand received 25,000 applications from Chinese students each year.

Mr Joyce said there was no evidence the language schools knew the students had fraudulent visas.

"It is likely the private providers accepted the students in good faith,'' he said.

Immigration New Zealand, NZQA and Education New Zealand were investigating the breach.

Mr Joyce said qualifications gained by the students involved would not necessarily be stripped from them, but they would be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

Ms Wilkinson said some of the students may have been misguided and were not part of the fraudulent activity.

The applications were believed to have begun in July last year and were uncovered a month ago. They made up the biggest breach Immigration New Zealand had uncovered.

Ms Wilkinson said she doubted staff at INZ were at fault, but an investigation would reveal more detail.

Mr Joyce said INZ would decide if charges would be laid against the two agents in China.

The University of Auckland's English Language Academy is not a private training establishment so was not among the 20 language schools involved, but a spokesman said it has its own visa office where all student visas are thoroughly checked.

Dominion English Schools' principal and general manager Martin Wall said he had received a letter today from Education New Zealand about the fraudulent visas.

Dominion English Schools did not have any Chinese students so was not involved.

"We have been operating English language schools since 1967 so we know who is dodgy and who isn't,'' he said.

- APNZ