- The Interior Department accused the students of having “unreliable” evidence, the student’s lawyer told the court.
- The decision has significant consequences for everyone involved, he said.
Nearly 34,000 foreign students unfairly affected when the UK Home Office revoked student visas based on misleading and confusing evidence.
The comments came during a trial. The President and Vice President of the tribunal heard legal arguments on behalf of thousands of students. The UK Home Office was relying on “unreliable” evidence while nearly 34,000 international students accused of fraud in TOEIC.
The UK Home Office took action after a 2014 investigation by media Panorama found fraud was rife in several colleges where applicants were trying to prove TOEIC English proficiency – a Home Office visa requirement.
The lawsuit against the Home Office centers on arguments put forward by students and their lawyers that, despite several system violations, it is unfair and disproportionate to target more than 60,000 students on questionable evidence strength and credibility.
Issuance of the ETS has been going on since 2014. 60,000 visas have revoked by the Home Office and thousands of migrants have removed by the UK government.
Those affected include thousands of students, mostly from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and African countries.
Lawyers are fighting case against UK Home Office
Barister Rashid Ahmed, a specialist in public law and human rights, and Barister Zeeshan Raza of 2 Kings Bench Walk are among the complainants in the Education Testing (ETS) fraud case.
Lawyers Rashid Ahmed and Zeeshan Raza said in their appearances before the President. They said the main problem always lies in the quality of the Foreign Minister’s evidence. Also the government can bear the burden of proof, alleging that the evidence has been deceived.
Both lawyer Rashid Ahmed and Zeeshan Raza argued before the President and Vice President of the Supreme Court that the evidence cited by the Interior Office was flawed.
The court heard that the real students had admitted without appeal because of the Interior Ministry’s actions.
Activists said the whole exercise was a shame because 2,468 of those marked as “cheaters” had forcibly removed from Britain. The deportation operation continues and more than 4,000 cheaters have given time off and hundreds have been involved in lawsuits against the Home Office.
Moreover, Lawyer Rashid Ahmed clarified the matter to the High Court, saying he had spoken about the case of an Indian citizen. The leave was rejected on the grounds that the reporter had submitted fake documents.
“This is based on the previous use of the TOEIC English Language Certificate.”
Barister Rashid Ahmed said the Home Office failed to detect student fraud.
“The voices of migrants have been given permission to intervene. The government hired QC to represent their interests. The decision will be saved. The ruling is likely to have [significant] consequences for everyone affected by the problem,” said Ahmed.
