In an exclusive interview with SBS Mandarin News Australia, a student from China reveals how he was paid to sit an English language immmigration test for someone else.
Following the story, IELTS issued a statement warning test candidates that if they attempt to present fraudulent identities to any IELTS test centre, they will be identified and action will be taken.
Students are under increasing pressure to score higher results in the International English Language Testing System exam, a key criterion for gaining Australian permanent residency.
An underground business is emerging, providing the service of falsifying everything international students need to get permanent residency .
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
This includes everything from organising fake passports to finding a substitute to sit their English exam for them.
The businessmen allegedly contact the 'substitute' students directly, using a popular Chinese instant messaging program.
"Because we are both Chinese, we contact each other by the instant messaging program QQ. It is easy to register an ID contact name for each other. By using QQ contacts, nobody can track your real identification," one source told SBS.
The source, identified only as 'Mr L', says he never has a problem when pretending to be a student sitting for the IELTS exam.
"I am similar looking to the student client. It is hard to figure out the difference between us, especially after changing my hairstyle," he told SBS.
SBS Mandarin found the IELTS substitution was almost an open secret.
Two test centres at Macquarie University and the University of Western Sydney have introduced new fingerprint scanning machines for identification purposes, and the federal government plans to further toughen the criteria in July.
If you have had any encounter with this kind of business, SBS would like to hear from you. You can email us anonymously at sbsnews@sbs.com.au, or leave a message in the comments section of this article.
