New Zealand news on Stuff.co.nz: Foreign students getting 'free education' says MP
New Zealand news on Stuff.co.nz: Foreign students getting 'free education' says MP: "Foreign students are getting a free education courtesy of New Zealand taxpayers by manipulating the immigration system, National Party immigration spokesman Lockwood Smith says.
Dr Smith yesterday asked immigration officials at a select committee hearing whether they were aware of 'a trend' for former fee-paying students to gain residency.
He said at one Auckland school, 23 per cent of the foreign student roll had switched to free education in the past 12 months, and he knew of similar examples from a further nine schools in the city.
He cited a case in which the father of three children lived in Nigeria but had 'somehow obtained residency' and now paid nothing for his children's education, which had formerly cost the family $21,000 a year.
He said the situation smacked of 'a scam'."
Dr Smith yesterday asked immigration officials at a select committee hearing whether they were aware of 'a trend' for former fee-paying students to gain residency.
He said at one Auckland school, 23 per cent of the foreign student roll had switched to free education in the past 12 months, and he knew of similar examples from a further nine schools in the city.
He cited a case in which the father of three children lived in Nigeria but had 'somehow obtained residency' and now paid nothing for his children's education, which had formerly cost the family $21,000 a year.
He said the situation smacked of 'a scam'."
posted by Paul Johnson at 12:16 am
