Student Visa System Fraud Exposed In BBC Investigation

The Home Office has suspended English language tests run by a major firm after BBC Panorama uncovered systematic fraud in the student visa system.

Secret filming of government-approved exams needed for a visa shows candidates having tests faked for them.

ETS, which sets the exams but does not appoint the invigilators, told Panorama it "does everything it can to detect and prevent" cheating.

Home Secretary Theresa May said the BBC's evidence was "very shocking".

Panorama saw candidates for tests set by ETS, one of the largest language testing firms in the world, being replaced by "fake sitters" and having answers read out to them.

'Poor English'

For the last year, the programme has been filming undercover, following a network of agents helping people obtain student visa extensions through fraud.

Each year, around 100,000 non-EU students get their visas to stay in the UK extended.

The programme sent non-EU students - who were already in the UK legally - undercover.

They posed as bogus students with poor English, who wanted to remain in the UK to work illegally.

One went undercover at an immigration consultancy called Studentway Education in Southall, west London.

Avensis dethrones Corolla as car of the year

For the first time in many years, Toyota Corolla has lost its coveted crown as Nigeria’s Car of the Year to another Toyota model, the Avensis.

This is the verdict of a team of assessors of Nigeria’s automobile products and personalities under the aegis of GMC, the organisers of the annual NAJ.

The Corolla has won the same award back to back for about three years, which also followed a global trend, on its account of popularity, fuel economy and ease of maintenance.