It warns students not to fall into ‘traps’ and do due diligence while seeking admission in US universities.
Earlier this year, the news of more than a hundred Indian students arrested over admissions in a fake Michigan university, set up by Department of Homeland Security rattled the Indian student community in the United States, triggering doubts about the legality and legitimacy of several upstart for-profit schools in this country.
In mid-March, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told the American Bazaar that a total of 171 Indian nationals were arrested in the Farmington University sting.
The Farmington scam was not the first time Indian students were targeted in a crackdown of illegal universities. In April 2016, the Department of Justice announced the arrest of 21 people in a sting operation involving a similar “pay-to-stay” university created by the authorities, the University of Northern New Jersey.
In light of such incidents, the Embassy of India in Washington, D.C., has issued advisory for Indian students seeking admission to US universities. The mission said the aim of the advisory was “to provide general guidance to the students in taking the right decision while seeking admission in US universities.”
“In order to ensure that Indian students do not fall into such ‘traps,’ it is advised that due diligence be exercised while seeking admission in US universities,” the advisory says. “The fact that a University is duly accredited by relevant US authorities such as its inclusion in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVIS) is not an assurance in itself about the bonafides of a University.”
The advisory also points out several other factors that students must take into account while seeking admissions to US universities, such as ensuring that the school functions from a campus and does not just have an administrative premise. The pointers also suggest checking out if the university has a faculty and regular instructors, as well as a curriculum.
The embassy posted the long advisory on its social media. Avantika Kumar from Mumbai, India, wrote in response: “My friend from the US shared the advisory with us and it is very useful for us as our son was looking to seek admission in universities in the US. It gives some useful guidelines while ensuring that the Indian embassy is vigilant about Indian students not falling into any traps due to ignorance.”
Here’s the full text of the advisory:
Advisory for Indian Students
Washington, DC
April 10, 2019
- In recent years, instances of “fake” Universities set up by the US law enforcement agencies have come to light. According to the US law enforcement, these Universities are run by undercover law enforcement agents of the US, who pose as owners and employees of the University. The sole objective of such operations is to identify recruiters and entities engaged in immigration fraud in the US.
- The most recent examples of such Universities are the University of Northern New Jersey set up in 2013 and of Farmington University established in 2015 by the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in the Department of Homeland Security of the United States. In both cases, a number of Indian students enrolled into these Universities, paid the requisite tuition fee and were granted F1 visa as well as Curricular Practical Training (CPT) permission.
- These Indian students, many of whom claimed later that they were caught unawares, were subsequently detained by US law enforcement agencies and subjected to deportation proceedings. They were accused of having violated the US immigration laws and of knowingly remaining enrolled in a “fake” University for the sole purpose of continuing their stay in the United States without the intention of pursuing any academic activity.
- In order to ensure that Indian students do not fall into such “traps”, it is advised that due diligence be exercised while seeking admission in US Universities. The fact that a University is duly accredited by relevant US authorities such as its inclusion in the Student and Exchange Visitor Programme (SEVIS), is not an assurance in itself about the bonafides of a University.
- Before seeking admission in a University, students are advised to take into account several other factors, some of which are outlined below:
(i) Does the University function from a campus or merely maintains a website and has administrative premises only? If not, such Universities are not to be regarded as a bonafide educational institution and admission into such Universities should be avoided.
(ii) Does the University have a faculty and regular instructors/educators? If not, admissions to such Universities should be avoided. It may be noted that such Universities typically employ only administrative staff and their websites have no information in respect of faculty.
(iii) Does the University have a proper curriculum, hold regular classes and actively implement academic or educational activity? If not, admissions to such Universities may be avoided. Students admitted to such Universities, even if in possession of regular student visa may be tried for violation of visa norms and subjected to detention and subsequent deportation from the US.
- This advisory is not exhaustive and intended only to provide general guidance to the students in taking the right decision while seeking admission in US Universities.