GLASGOW, Scotland, March 10 (UPI) -- A Scottish citizenship training provider is charging students $700 for a course that does not meet the minimum citizenship requirements, a report alleges.
A Training Direct employee told a reporter posing as a prospective student that the single six-hour class "gives you the minimum requirement needed by the Home Office," the Glasgow Herald reported Monday.
However, a Borders and Immigration Agency spokeswoman said the Home Office rules for citizenship could not possibly be satisfied with a single six-hour course.
"We believe citizenship should represent a gold standard. We will investigate and press for prosecution where evidence comes to light of any attempt to gain or facilitate British citizenship though fraudulent means," she said.
The Herald said it also found that Training Direct is not registered with British qualifications body City & Guilds, despite its claims to the contrary.
"Something didn't seem right -- we have had people coming back to us angry because their certificates haven't arrived," said a lecturer with the company who was spoken to by the newspaper. "In one case a man came into the office with a certificate he had been sent, but his wife had done a City & Guilds course and her certificate was completely different."
