In one of the largest migration scams involving international students in Melbourne, nine businesses have been raided over claims that some charged up to $20,000 for fake education certificates and work references.

http://www.theage.com.au/national/businesses-raided-ove...d-20081228-767k.html

Hi Alan

Well, well, well....

With that going on on DIAC's and the skills assessment authorities' home soil, one wonders why they all became so anxious about TRA Pathway D. This sounds like a bigger scam on a much bigger scale?

A couple of points about it intrigues me, though. Presumably the Students caught up in this thing were allegedly complicit in it. Would they then have used ungregistered migration agents as well in order to get their PR visas?

What will happen to the "students"?

Also if someone buys fake documents somewhere - eg the fake degrees that my Spam bin regularly promises me - how would a genuine RMA like you know whether or not the documents are fake?

I bickered about this with the Law Society once. They said it was the solicitor's job to verify his/her client's identity. I asked them how? How on earth am I expected to know whether or not the document offered to me is a genuine British passport or whether it has been purchased on the black market somewhere? I never did get a satisfactory response.

As far as mortgage lenders are concerned I reckon it is up to them to do their own identity verifications. The employ ex-policemen etc in their fraud teams who know about such matters in the same way that the Banks do.

Do you think DIAC will be unfair enough to try to say that it is an RMA's job (rather than their own job) to work out whether the supporting documents are real or not?

Admittedly, I've no idea how many of the documents required in order to get the skills assessment also have to be sent to DIAC. I've never seen a completed skilled visa application and since I've never applied to migrate to Oz I've never done one of my own either.

However surely it is up to the relevant Authorities (eg Vetassess, TRA etc) to verify documents? I don't know about people like the ANMC or ACS but TRA and Vetassess look like Government Agencies of some sort to me?

And finally....

I wonder what effect this news will have on the new fast-track visa processing plans?

Happy New Year

Gill