英国议会抨击边境管理局

MPs have launched a scathing attack on the UK Border Agency over its failure to prevent people abusing the student visa system to enter the country illegally.

英国议员对英国边境管理局(UK Border Agency)发起严厉抨击，指责其未能阻止外国人滥用学生签证制度非法进入英国。

In a report published today, the public accounts committee is fiercely critical of the agency’s failure to put in adequate checks and balances before moving to a points-based system of awarding student visas in 2010.

公共账目委员会(Public Accounts Committee)在今天发布的一份报告中，猛烈抨击边境管理局未能在2010年采取计分制度授予学生签证之前，部署充分的制衡措施。

The agency was already under heavy scrutiny after last week stripping London Metropolitan University of its right to admit non-EU students because of its alleged failures to monitor foreign students properly. The university announced yesterday that it would challenge the decision.

上周，边境管理局剥夺伦敦都市大学(London Metropolitan University)招收非欧盟学生的权利，原因是该校据称未能妥善监控外国学生。这件事导致边境管理局受到密切关注。昨日伦敦都市大学宣布将对这一决定提起上诉。

Margaret Hodge, the committee’s chairwoman, said: “It is extraordinary that the UK Border Agency introduced its new points-based system for students before proper controls were in place to replace the old ones.

公共账目委员会主席玛格丽特·霍奇(Margaret Hodge)表示：“英国边境管理局在制定适当的控制措施取代原有措施之前就推出新的学生签证记分制度，真是极不寻常。

“The result?.?.?.?was chaos: an immediate high level of abuse of the new system and a surge in the number of student visas. In 2010, the number of migrants who abused the student route to work rather than study went up by as much as 40,000 to 50,000.

“结果是一片混乱：新制度立即遭到较高程度的滥用，学生签证数量飙升。2010年，滥用学生签证到英国来工作而非学习的移民增加了4万至5万人。

The committee was especially critical of the agency for removing the power of clearance officers to assess applicants’ intentions on paper and, in some cases, by interview. MPs also criticised its decision to rely on visa letters to guarantee that students were being sponsored throughout their courses, which they said were easily forged.

委员会尤其批评边境管理局取消了签证官通过书面材料（某些情况下通过面谈）来评估申请人意图的权力。议员还批评边境管理局依赖签证函来担保学生在整个课程期间得到资助的决策，他们指出签证函容易伪造。

Addressing the Commons on the London Met case yesterday, Damian Green, immigration minister, said the university’s foreign students would have until December 1 to find a new course and secure a new visa.

英国移民部长达米安·格林(Damian Green)昨日就伦敦都市大学一案向众议院发表讲话时表示，该大学的外国学生可在12月1日之前寻找新的课程，并申请新的签证。