First lesson: how to enter the UK

ANDREW DENHOLM and CALUM MACDONALD It would seem to be sensible, if somewhat obvious advice. The website for the LSMT Business School in Glasgow suggests overseas applicants seeking a visa should avoid getting into an argument with an immigration officer.

ANDREW DENHOLM and CALUM MACDONALD

It would seem to be sensible, if somewhat obvious advice.

The website for the LSMT Business School in Glasgow suggests overseas applicants seeking a visa should avoid getting into an argument with an immigration officer.

It continues by offering detailed instructions on how to pass the UK entry interview, stating: "It is vital to rehearse what you are planning to tell by anticipating the interview questions and simulating real life answers."

And it warns: "If you are not able to articulate the reasons you will study on a particular programme . . . you may not succeed in convincing the consular officer that you are indeed planning to study rather than to immigrate."

The explicit nature of such guidance is certain to fuel suspicions that the LSMT Business School, along with hundreds of similar unlicensed colleges across the UK, is not all it seems. The concern is that fake colleges are being used as fronts for bringing illegal immigrants into the country under short-term student visas, which can be extended for several years by simply signing up to another course.

An investigation by The Herald has already uncovered four colleges in Glasgow advertising non-existent courses or using logos of recognised educational and industry bodies on their websites without permission.

Despite this, all the colleges were on an official government list operated by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) which allows visas to be issued to students who have secured a place at them.

Two of the colleges, Commonwealth College and Great Regent College, set up dubious websites which described lavish facilities and highly specialised courses, despite being based at a private flat and a rundown office block.

Another two institutions, Middlesex College and Glasgow College, both have misleading website addresses registered in the Ascension Islands which gives them an ac prefix which mirrors the regulated ac.uk address of all legitimate colleges and universities in the UK.

Yesterday it emerged that, in the wake of The Herald's investigations, the DIUS has now removed Commonwealth College from the register. However, the others are still on it - as is the LSMT Business School - which carries many of the hallmarks of those discovered earlier this year.

The website of the LSMT Business School, which has another "campus" in London, is registered in the Ascension Islands and, under a banner welcoming students to its Glasgow campus, shows a picture of the Glasgow Science Centre.

In reality, the college is located up a close in a crumbling building in Dixon Street between the St Enoch Centre and the River Clyde.

The website claims the campus has three "state-of-the-art" media suite classrooms and a "multi-purpose teaching suite", but when The Herald visited the premises they were locked and appeared to be empty.

A man who works in a neighbouring office said a number of Asian men had occupied the offices last year and put a college sign on the door, but no students had been seen since.

LSMT is currently advertising a number of courses, including teacher training, which it claims are being externally assessed and accredited by Dundee University, when in fact it has no such connection.

A spokesman for Dundee University said: "The university does not have, nor has it had, any links or agreements with LSMT Business School. Some of the courses they have listed on their website are not even offered at this university.

"We have asked that LSMT Business School remove all references to the University of Dundee from their website and any associated literature."

It also claims "academic collaborations" with a number of international colleges, including the Plekhanov Academy of Economics in Moscow, the C and E College in Beirut and the Euro College, Macedonia.

The accounts and official company documents for LSMT show that it has been in existence since 2003 and has a number of directors, including Fatima Imtiaz, from Pakistan, Shafqat Qamar, from Essex, and Syed Kazmi from Glasgow.

Formerly known as Careerwise Ltd, the last accounts for the company for the year ending July 2005 show that it had a turnover of only £500 despite having a staff of eight executive officers.

When contacted by The Herald, Mr Qamar, who is based in London, said the Glasgow campus would be opening at the end of September. "We plan to start in Glasgow from the end of September. We are bringing a lot of students from London to Glasgow because London is very expensive and so we are convincing them it will be better for them," he said.

The Herald's investigations have alarmed legitimate colleges, who first warned Scottish government officials about bogus colleges two years ago.

Since then they have tried to persuade politicians and the civil service to put pressure on the Westminster government to change the law to protect the name "college", but so far the Scottish government has insisted it is not a matter for it.

Last month, the Home Office announced plans to tighten the registration regime governing private colleges to weed out those operating simply as "visa shops" by ensuring an accreditation with a recognised regulatory body.

However, the Association of Scotland's Colleges (ASC) has now written to Des Browne, Secretary of State for Scotland, calling for the 1985 Business Names Act to be changed to include protection of the term "college".

The act currently protects the names "university", "polytechnic", "institute" and "special school" and only those who have approval from the Secretary of State can use such terms. However, "college" is not protected.

The ASC argues that the omission allows those who wish to set up dubious education establishments to give themselves an air of credibility by using the term.

Howard McKenzie, acting chief executive of the ASC, said: "We are deeply concerned at the increasing problem of bogus colleges operating in Scotland. Globalisation makes it easy for students from overseas to study anywhere in the world, and competition between education providers is fierce.

"The ASC believes that if bogus colleges were not allowed to use the name college' in their business name it would make it much harder for them to recruit students from overseas."

The association has received backing from Murdo Fraser, education spokesman for the Scottish Tories. "There is clearly an abuse of process going on here and there is a clear case for greater regulation of these so-called colleges," he said.

The facts