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AUSTRALIA: IELTS Scam Reported
October 28, 2015
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is used in more than 100 countries around the globe with the minimum score for a student or skilled migrant around five in Australia. In order to be considered as a permanent resident in Australia the score increases to seven and on occasions may be increased beyond this depending on circumstances.
There have been a number of reports regarding fraudulent operators offering fake IELTS certificates at a premium price. Fees of $5,000 for a basic pass with higher scores attracting a price of around $10,000-$12,000 have been reported. One University student from Vietnam spoke to SBS news outlining that her friend made several unsuccessful attempts to pass the permanent residency test becoming more desperate with allegedly paying an agent $5,000 for a pass on the IELTS test. A migration agent has also told SBS news of a company she currently works for who operates in Vietnam and Australia offering a middle-man service for around $12,000 for a fake IELTS test certificate. The migration agent in question claims the price is getting higher day by day with the results published officially on the IELTS website.
The Immigration Department in Australia have said that if an applicant is discovered to be using a fake IELTS certificate they can expect to have their visa rejected or cancelled with the imposition of a 10 year ban on future visa applications to Australia. By way of interest the only two approved English language test providers in the UK, moving forward, will be IELTS and Trinity College London following a number of recent changes made by the Home Office. The likes of City & Guilds IESOL, ESOL and the Pearson Test of English Academic will no longer be accepted for applications submitted from November 2015. This could cause a number of problems for candidates relying upon English language tests passed with other providers prior to the recently imposed changes.
If you require any information regarding IELTS or meeting the English language requirements please contact us.
