March 24, 2009 - 7:39AM
An alleged student migration racket has been busted in Melbourne, the federal government says.

Officers from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and the Australian Federal Police raided a migration agency last week, where three agents were allegedly providing fake documentation to support permanent residency applications for foreign students.

Senator Chris Evans alleged the agents were involved in falsifying documentation to help students get visas under the skilled migration category.

"The students had applied for permanent visas based on their claimed skills in a range of occupations including cooking, hairdressing, horticultural work and car mechanics," Senator Evans said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Illegal activity by migration agents attacks the heart of Australia's visa programs and will not be tolerated."

People who obtain permanent visas based on fake documents can have their visas cancelled.

Investigations are continuing into possible offences relating to forgery and fraud, which carry penalties of up to 10 years imprisonment.

The bust followed extensive investigations by immigration officers and other government agencies.

© 2009 AAP
http://news.smh.com.au/

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