Three Arrested in Bogus Colleges

A man and two women were arrested yesterday in an immigration raid on two suspected bogus colleges for foreign students.

The man, a college principal, was arrested on suspicion of obtaining leave to remain in the UK by deception while the two women, both college administrators, are suspected of breaching visa conditions.

Meanwhile, officers trawled through documents and computer files at the college site in Stratford, East London, while students were questioned over their visas and how long they had spent studying there.

Yesterday's raid involved a team comprising 35 immigration staff, police officers, HM Revenue and Customs and Trading Standards officers and was part of an ongoing series of operations into potentially bogus colleges.

The intelligence-led operation targeted Monteagle College and Lloyds College, which were both operating out of the sixth floor of the same business centre.

The colleges, understood to be on the government's register of education providers, are thought to have about 600 students on their books.

However, officers found one empty classroom, no teachers and one student who had turned up to hand in a letter.

The government-run Border and Immigration Agency is investigating privately run colleges to check that they are not enabling people to remain in the UK without the correct visas or helping students who are using such colleges to stay in the country.

A student questioned by officers yesterday, who was from Bombay, India, said the fees for his business course were £4000 a year.

He admitted to officers: "I don't come regularly. I haven't been here for the last two weeks."

As the two arrested women were led away, officers were on their way to their homes to check their passports, marriage certificates and other documents.