Australian immigration officials have stated that there is an influx of false visa applications from Kenya seeking to join universities and colleges in the country.
According to Times Higher Education, the officials noted that the majority of the applications masked the real purpose of moving to Australia. According to the officials, most people just want to work in Australia.
In the applications for visas to study university courses including master’s and doctoral degrees, fraudulent credentials, identity papers, language test results, and travel histories were found.
“Economic uncertainty in many countries has fueled a surge in “non-genuine applications” from people whose primary purpose is to work in Australia,” the officials stated.
Early this year, Australia scrapped the limits on students’ paid employment. Under normal circumstances, student visa holders can only work 40 hours per fortnight but these measures were relaxed due to workforce shortage.
Additionally, some applicants are using fake financial documents indicating that they have stable to support themselves during their stay in Australia.
The relaxed measures were extended in April 2022 and a Bumper July Edition highlighted that the Australian immigration department identified countries where ‘emerging integrity issues’ are concentrated.
Pakistan, Nepal, Ghana, and some states of India; Haryana, Gujarat, and Punjab have also been flagged by Australia.
Universities and colleges in Australia were urged to keep a keen eye on such applications to ensure only genuine students get into the country.
“Australia now has the ‘most generous’ work rights of the major education destination countries both for current students and recent graduates. This inevitably increases the country’s vulnerability to fraudulent applications,” stated Migration expert Abul Rizvi.
The unemployment rate in Kenya, which stands at 6.6 per cent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, combined with the tough economic times are pushing Kenyans to chase greener pastures abroad.
