Melbourne, Nov.5 (ANI): The Australian government's migration program, which is designed to attract thousands of young, highly skilled students to fill Australian jobs, has been "corrupted" by a Melbourne man who created a sophisticated scam that rorted the system.
According to The Age, Carmine Amarante made tens of thousands of dollars, but stood to make up to almost two million dollars, by manufacturing hundreds of fraudulent documents for international students to ultimately become permanent residents.
A County Court heard that over three years from 2006 Amarante, 36, created false work reference letters and other documents used by the students in conjunction with skills assessments and visa applications.
Prosecutor Scott Bruckard said Amarante "assisted international students to obtain permanent residency in Australia by creating false work reference letters" he submitted to a branch of the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.
Amarante admitted he was paid between 500 dollars and 1000 dollars for the 777 false documents he created and had paid employers - some who were friends, some from referrals and others he approached on the street - for each student they agreed to falsely represent had performed the required hours of work experience.
He told investigators that after he stopped working as a teacher he used a city pokies tabaret as his "office" to run the scheme.
Judge Gabriele Cannon yesterday jailed Amarante for conduct she said had "seriously harmed" the general skilled migration (GSM) program which was managed by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC). (ANI)
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