scam. The scam was the topic during a daily briefing of the United States State Department in the District of Columbia. As a result of the scam, some of the students may face deportation.
The school misled prospective students by claiming to offer classes in physical classrooms. Instead, the curriculum of the school was taught entirely online, a format that does not satisfy the visa requirements for international students. At the time the school was raided and shut down, it had an enrollment of 1,500 students.
In addition to closing the California institution, federal authorities in the District of Columbia have contacted the government in India to inform them that the U.S. government will try to find alternate schools for the students who got scammed. About 435 students had already been placed at other schools, but it may not be possible to place all of the students. Those students who are not able to be placed in other schools may face deportation. In addition, many of the school’s former students have received Notices of Intent to deny their applications to be reinstated as international students. If they are not successful in maintaining their status as international students, they will no longer have legal immigration status and will be deported.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement continued to list the sham school on its website of approved schools for several months after the raid that forced the school to close. The school did not lose its status as an approved institution right away after the closure. It was only when criminal charges we brought against the school’s founder and four other people that the school was removed from the ICE website.
Source: The India West, “TVU Students Were Scammed, Says State Department,” Sunita Sohrabji, Nov. 9, 2011