NEW DELHI: The Australian High Commission has put out an alert after an Indian national was arrested in Sydney on charges of masterminding a marriage visa scam that targeted communities from South Asia.
Jagjit Singh, 32, is accused of being the main facilitator of the scam and was charged with arranging four fake marriages for obtaining permanent residency, the High Commission said in a release.
According to the Australian Border Force (ABF), a total of 164 partner visa applications were refused after they were found to be linked with Singh’s syndicate. Four others appeared in court for allegedly convincing Australian citizens to marry the prospective partner willing to pay money for the partner visa, which would grant them permanent residency. They were charged under the Migration Act and Criminal code.
The charge Singh faces carries a maximum penalty of up to $210,000 and/or, 10-year imprisonment. The matter was adjourned until January 8, 2019. ABF Commander Clinton Sims said such scams generally target young women, mostly from disadvantaged and low socio-economic backgrounds, as they are desperate to stay in Australia and generally pay a significant sum of money for such arrangements.
“Those seeking a visa through a contrived marriage also need to understand that paying a facilitator will not buy them a permanent visa pathway. There is rarely any financial recourse in the event that their partner visa application is unsuccessful. Protecting the integrity of the visa system is an operational priority for the ABF and anyone found to be involved in, or facilitating sham marriages should expect to be investigated and face criminal prosecution,” he said.
An Indian official said the government has taken steps to check such scams, which involve the people promising citizenship not just for Australia, but also the US, Canada, and New Zealand, and to a smaller extent, some European nations.
“We work closely with local authorities whenever Indians are involved, but even if the perpetrators are arrested, it is very difficult for the victims who sometimes invest their life’s savings in the hope of getting a permanent residency or citizenship,” she said. “We constantly monitor immigration agents who sometimes guarantee citizenship in return for huge sums of money, and then fail to deliver.” In February last year, a Queensland couple was jailed over a similar scam after being found guilty of organising 16 sham marriages, mostly involving Indian men desperate to stay in Australia.