Syed Fawad Ali Shah
In a startling investigative report, it has been revealed that fraudulent visa applications to European countries, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States are being facilitated through fake documents in Malaysia. According to the investigation, individuals from countries like India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan—where obtaining a visa is often a difficult task—are turning to Malaysia to procure fake visas for these destinations. The scheme involves unregistered consultancy agencies and rogue agents who operate from their rooms, offering visa consultancy services for a fee ranging from 3,000 to 15,000 Malaysian Ringgit. These agents prepare visa applications with fake bank statements, hotel bookings, forged details, and sometimes even fake work permits, which are then submitted to embassies. These embassies primarily focus on assessing security risks to determine whether an applicant poses a threat to the host country or is genuinely traveling for tourism. However, there is a glaring oversight in verifying the authenticity of documents like work visas, bank statements, insurance, and hotel bookings with official sources. Many of these documents are, in fact, fabricated. Once successful, these individuals use their visas to enter the target countries and continue their fraudulent practices. They then share these shortcuts with friends and family members, helping others bypass legal immigration channels and reach countries where obtaining a visa is typically challenging. This illegal network not only facilitates entry for individuals seeking a better life, but it also opens the door for criminals involved in serious offenses in their home countries. These individuals often know that by applying for political asylum, they might eventually acquire citizenship. The prevalence of this issue has made it easier for organized crime to penetrate European nations, Japan, the U.S., Australia, and the UK, etc. The majority of those entering through such fraudulent means are often involved in criminal activities. It is critical that the embassies in Malaysia, representing European countries, the U.S., the UK, and Japan etc, take immediate action. They must verify the authenticity of visa applicants’ work visa permits, bank statements, company letter, travel insurance, and hotel bookings with official sources to ensure that the documents submitted are genuine and not tampered with. In many cases, visa applicants present bank account balances as low as 5,000 Ringgit but artificially inflate them to 50,000. Yet, these embassies fail to carry out basic checks. To combat this, it is essential that these embassies include clear disclaimers on their websites and visa application forms, warning that providing fake documents or information will result in legal action. Offenders should be handed over to the police or immigration authorities, and the media should be notified through press releases to discourage individuals from resorting to fraudulent methods. It is high time that strict action be taken to curb this growing problem, and prevent the exploitation of the visa system that continues to compromise the security and integrity of these nations.
The writer is a senior Journalist He can be reached at [email protected]
