4 from Southern California arrested in test-cheating scheme to obtain visas for Chinese nationals

Four Southern California residents were among five people arrested Tuesday on federal charges involving an alleged scheme to help Chinese nationals obtain student visas by hiring people who used fake Chinese passports to take an English proficiency test for the foreign students...

The United States requires foreign citizens who wish to enter the country on a temporary basis to study at a college or university to first obtain an F-1 student visa ...

In the United States, many SEVP-certified schools require foreign citizens whose first language is not English to certify proficiency in English by achieving a particular score on the TOEFL. When the foreign national goes to a TOEFL testing location, the test taker must present an original, non-expired, government-issued identification document recognized by their home country ...

The charge of using a false passport carries a possible maximum of 10 years. Aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory consecutive two-year sentence, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office ...