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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Migrants 'able to buy' language test pass certificates | Migrants 'able to buy' language test pass certificates |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| The Home Office is investigating claims that migrants who cannot speak English have been able to buy documents saying they have passed a language test. | The Home Office is investigating claims that migrants who cannot speak English have been able to buy documents saying they have passed a language test. |
| The Daily Mail said secret filming at one test centre in London showed that certificates were sold for £500 each. | The Daily Mail said secret filming at one test centre in London showed that certificates were sold for £500 each. |
| Home Office staff searched a Learn Pass Succeed (LPS) school in Upton Park, east London on Saturday. | |
| Immigration Minister James Brokenshire said the government took any allegation of fraud extremely seriously. | Immigration Minister James Brokenshire said the government took any allegation of fraud extremely seriously. |
| "We will take the strongest possible action against anyone who is found to have abused the rules," he said. | "We will take the strongest possible action against anyone who is found to have abused the rules," he said. |
| He said this included the possibility of criminal prosecutions for fraud. | He said this included the possibility of criminal prosecutions for fraud. |
| Ofqual, the examinations watchdog, said it was aware of the allegations and was urgently seeking further information. | Ofqual, the examinations watchdog, said it was aware of the allegations and was urgently seeking further information. |
| The English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) qualification tests speaking and listening skills. | The English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) qualification tests speaking and listening skills. |
| It is awarded by a number of different providers and is compulsory for non-English speakers applying for British citizenship. | It is awarded by a number of different providers and is compulsory for non-English speakers applying for British citizenship. |
| Guaranteed pass | Guaranteed pass |
| The Daily Mail investigated a branch of the LPS group in Upton Park following a tip-off from a whistleblower. | |
| It said applicants there could obtain a guaranteed pass for the Entry 3 Level ESOL exam for £500 - more than three times the usual cost. | It said applicants there could obtain a guaranteed pass for the Entry 3 Level ESOL exam for £500 - more than three times the usual cost. |
| It alleged that candidates did not have to attend the centre, take any classes or sit the test themselves. | It alleged that candidates did not have to attend the centre, take any classes or sit the test themselves. |
| Staff at the centre allegedly used a fake candidate to take the oral part of the test and completed written sections themselves. | Staff at the centre allegedly used a fake candidate to take the oral part of the test and completed written sections themselves. |
| 'Wrong and ridiculous' | 'Wrong and ridiculous' |
| Uzwan Ghani, a director of LPS, which has four branches in London, said the problem was confined to the Upton Park branch and the group was suspending exam results from the centre. | Uzwan Ghani, a director of LPS, which has four branches in London, said the problem was confined to the Upton Park branch and the group was suspending exam results from the centre. |
| "I'm shocked that this has happened and am very concerned as to how it could have happened," he was quoted by the Mail as saying. | "I'm shocked that this has happened and am very concerned as to how it could have happened," he was quoted by the Mail as saying. |
| "We are very thorough when it comes to checking IDs of candidates before they take the test, so I will have to investigate which of the centres the test was taken in and who the assessor was. | "We are very thorough when it comes to checking IDs of candidates before they take the test, so I will have to investigate which of the centres the test was taken in and who the assessor was. |
| "I've been in the business for five years and I've never come across something like this and I would not allow it. It is wrong and ridiculous." | "I've been in the business for five years and I've never come across something like this and I would not allow it. It is wrong and ridiculous." |
| The Mail also quoted an unnamed manager at the LPS Upton Park branch who said: "Malpractice happened in this centre. There is no denying it. We're holding our hands up to it. | The Mail also quoted an unnamed manager at the LPS Upton Park branch who said: "Malpractice happened in this centre. There is no denying it. We're holding our hands up to it. |
| "It's not something that happens frequently but it has happened." | "It's not something that happens frequently but it has happened." |
| 'Shambles' | 'Shambles' |
| Shadow immigration minister David Hanson said the government's management of the immigration system was "turning into a shambles". | Shadow immigration minister David Hanson said the government's management of the immigration system was "turning into a shambles". |
| "The language test is vital and it's incredible that stricter controls have not been put in place," he said. | "The language test is vital and it's incredible that stricter controls have not been put in place," he said. |
| "I have written to the minister to ask for a full investigation and report to Parliament." | "I have written to the minister to ask for a full investigation and report to Parliament." |
| Mr Brokenshire said the ESOL certificate was "just one element of a wide range of evidence required by individuals applying for settlement and citizenship. | Mr Brokenshire said the ESOL certificate was "just one element of a wide range of evidence required by individuals applying for settlement and citizenship. |
| "Nobody can gain a UK visa on the strength of this qualification alone." | "Nobody can gain a UK visa on the strength of this qualification alone." |