Edu-leaders

Authorities in the US have raided the University of Northern Virginia's Annandale (UNVA) on charges of alleged visa fraud. This happened hardly six months after the country’s Tri-Valley University (TVU) was declared a “sham university”. Officials found that the university is unaccredited and has about 2,400 students, 90 per cent of which are from India, and a majority from Andhra Pradesh.

Officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Federal Bureau of Investigation raided the university, which was supposed to issue I-20 form to about 50 students but issued and enrolled much more students.

Unlike the TVU case, the focus of the raid is not the students, but the school. According to reports, no arrest, detention or electronic monitoring would be done on the affected students.

The university would also not shut down immediately and would be given a one-month notice for explanation. Students studying at the university can either continue studying at the university till the time it functions, or seek a transfer to another university or return to India.

The students’ visa shall also remain valid for the present duration, so that they can seek transfers with a valid visa status.

The Indian Embassy in Washington is also trying to ensure that the students are not victimised.