Student visa scandal
The need for change
Since the Herald began publishing its three-part investigation into the student visa scandal, the emails have flooded in. Most have come from people in or close to the industry. Virtually all say the same thing — you are absolutely right, this is the tip of the iceberg, here is what happened in the place where I worked. Then most add — but please don’t publish my name, because I still need a job.
The reluctance to speak out publicly is understandable but is also a crucial part of the problem. It seems clear from anecdotal evidence, as well as the number of investigations under way — 58 at last count — that cheating and fraud is widespread among education providers in the international student market. It’s impossible to put a number on it because any dishonesty is carefully hidden. But it seems this is not about a few “bad apples”. Any cheating occurs because of the way the system is set up.
International education in New Zealand is designed to bring in as many students as possible, concentrating on revenue rather than high-level qualifications. It offers students a pathway to immigration through part-time work as they study and post-study work visas. And it has targeted India, where millions of people seek to escape a lifetime of poverty and corruption and some are prepared to cut corners for a better life in New Zealand. Not surprisingly, the system appears wide open to abuse. Rotorua-based Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology interim chief executive Neil Barns’ description this week was: “Some of these providers are not involved in quality education. It’s a front to get students through into fairly much indentured labour in New Zealand.”
The flow-on effects are widespread. Immigration NZ is investigating 55 possible cases of “cash-for-job” scams, where migrants pay employers for a job to get a visa, and officials have warned ministers that a huge increase in former international students working as a “chef” (read kitchenhand) or a “retail manager” (read shop assistant) is doing nothing for our high-skills economy and may be pushing New Zealanders out of low-paid jobs.
The Government is in an awkward position because it has belatedly clamped down on the worst abuses but seems reluctant to admit it, possibly for fear of losing the whole Indian student market. Tougher English tests should weed out many unsuitable former students aiming to qualify as skilled migrants and a decision to raise the points threshold will wipe out many bogus chefs and restaurant managers. A long overdue review of the points system looks likely to put much more emphasis on salary levels and work experience, rather than job offers.
There are also signs that NZQA and Immigration, after years of inactivity, are tackling the problem with more urgency.
This week’s NZQA report, which found “systemic plagiarism” among 1000 mainly Indian students at Linguis International, relied on investigators spot checking samples of students’ work, rather than trusting what the school owner told them. It’s a welcome improvement, even if it should have happened long ago.
Yet it seems no one can really tackle the student visa rort because we now depend on it.
The country makes $4.28 billion a year from international students, our fourth biggest industry behind dairy, tourism and meat. Put aside legitimate questions over how much of that money stays in New Zealand and circulates in the wider economy, as opposed to the immigrants themselves. If we turned off the tap tomorrow — the Government’s nightmare scenario after the sudden collapse of the Chinese market in 2003 — many office buildings would be half empty and central Queen St would become a ghost town.
Even reputable education providers would go broke and most polytechnics and universities could not make ends meet with domestic students alone.
Economic activity would also take a hit, as international students are doing the difficult, low-paid jobs which most New Zealanders avoid — at least until they get their residence visa approved.
In short, fundamental changes are unlikely to come from the top because too many powerful interests are benefiting from the current system, despite its obvious flaws.
The only hope is for more honest people within the student visa scam to stand up and be counted.