Sham marriage ring busted

Details

Created on Friday, 23 November 2012 16:46

Written by Editorial staff

A scheme that supposedly saw fraudulent marriages between Indian men and Australian women take place has been shut down.

In a joint operation between the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP), nine Queensland properties were raided and many bank accounts that were allegedly linked with the scam were frozen on Tuesday (November 20).

Documents and computer equipment were seized and taken away for examination by DIAC investigators and AFP officers. These items were located in some of the raided premises where it's believed the planning and execution of these scam weddings took place.

A DIAC spokesperson said: "DIAC treats allegations of immigration fraud seriously, and activities that undermine the integrity of the visa regime will not be tolerated by Australian authorities.

"The operation was part of an ongoing investigation into allegations that a Queensland man and his wife, among others, allegedly operated a sophisticated scheme to arrange fraudulent weddings between Indian men and Australian women."

Australian women were allegedly paid money by the masterminds of this plan and the Indian men apparently submitted applications for visas to remain in Australia with the bogus marriages forming the foundation of their claim for residency.

At this point in time, the DIAC estimates that up to 50 visa applications have been submitted which have been based around a sham marriage.

While it's too early to tell, the spokesperson says, any visa that has been lodged that is associated with this scam will be thoroughly investigated.

Federal legislation regarding the proceeds of crime has allowed the Commonwealth to seize these properties and freeze the bank accounts.

The operation was undertaken through the resources of the AFP, Australian Taxation Office and the Australian Crime Commission as part of the Commonwealth Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce.

It comes as Fairfax reports that wealthy Asian migrants are queuing up in droves to sign up for an immigration visa, which waives many of the requirements in exchange for $5 million investment in Australia.

With expressions of interest open from tomorrow (November 24), it's expected that 700 new migrants will enter Australia annually as a result of this Significant Investor Visa program.

To obtain permanent residency, these applicants must invest the $5 million and live in Australia, forty days a year for four years.

Those interested in the visa, the Sydney Morning Herald says, will most likely come from China where there is an increasing wealthy class as well as from other southeast Asian nations, India, South America and Russia.