Another U.S. university in visa fraud net

Jerry Wang, 32, CEO of the Herguan University has been arrested and charged with 15 counts of visa and the fate of the university, whose 450-member student body consists overwhelmingly of foreign students from India, now is uncertain.

Wang is alleged to have lured international students to his unaccredited school by using fraudulent documents to obtain visas, crimes that could land him a 23-year prison sentence and cost him more than $1 million in fines.

If the university, which has been given 30 days to contest the revoking of its certification, is closed down, the students will either have to enrol in an accredited school to maintain their legal status, or go home without an American degree and lose thousands of dollars.

A message on the varsity's website however said, “Herguan University is open and and conducting classes as usual! Government charges against the DSO, who has resigned, regarding immigration issues, have not affected the University.”

“Students will find classes scheduled as usual. If you are in status, nothing has changed for you. HGU is seeking a new DSO. The HGU President has appointed Dr. Doreen Simmons as the Interim Chief Operating Officer. Dr. Simmons is an experienced US educator,” it added.

In a similar case last year, a crackdown by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had found that the Tri-Valley University in California was charging students, most of whom were Indians, to help them illegally migrate and work in America.

While some of the students got transferred to other institutions, some were radio-tagged as part of the following criminal investigations which led to unpleasant exchanges between the foreign offices of the two countries.

The university, which had around 1,500 Indian students, was officially closed down on Mar 17.