英移民局最新公告:不再承认托福及托业成绩(在线收听

   4月17日,收到移民局发来的公告邮件通知最新关于针对英国移民局认可的语言考试中心- (美国教育考试服务中心)ETS的调查进展,明确指出将不再与前述机构续约,不再承认ETS旗下的两大英语考试-“托福”及“托业”语言成绩。

  此事件对于即将留学英国,在准备英语考试的申请人有极大影响。下面简单的对此次公告做一个基本介绍和说明。
  名词解释:
  ETS:Education Test Services美国教育考试服务中心
  SELT:Secure English Language Tests安全英语测试
  TOEFL:Test of English as a Foreign Language托福考试
  TOEIC:Test of English for International Communication托业考试
  事件回放:
  2014年2月10日,英国BBC广角镜栏目公布了一段卧底偷拍视频,清楚的揭露了在英国境内的ETS考点当中存在的替考问题 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26024375),随后英国内政大臣特丽莎 梅发布紧急公告宣布暂停接受英国境内ETS考点颁发的所有托业考试成绩作为英国移民局认可的语言成绩并对宣布对ETS提供的考试成绩进行全面调查。此行动并不包括对英国境外获得的托业成绩有人和影响,但是影响到一些大学加强对申请人语言能力的审查,并宣布不接受托业成绩作为入学申请时可使用的语言成绩。
  今日- 2014年4月17日,英国内政部的官方内部公告系统发出了对2月10日暗访事件的调查进度,邮件内容如下:
  Dear Peng,
  I am writing to update you about the actions we are taking as our investigation into ETS Secure English Language tests (SELT) taken in the UK progresses and the impacts that this may have on you and your students。
  Our licence agreement with ETS, in UK and overseas, ended on 5 April 2014 and will not be extended。
  We have suspended accepting ETS tests as evidence of English language ability. Applicants wishing to make an application should take a test with an alternative provider from the list。
  We will write to you again with full details of how we will work through applications that are currently suspended。
  I am sure you understand that we treat any threat to immigration control with the utmost seriousness and as such, cannot allow any cases where fraudulent evidence may have been obtained to be processed until we have absolute certainty that they are genuine。
  If you wish to withdraw your sponsorship of an applicant, you must do so via the Sponsorship Management System (SMS)。 The application will then be refused。
  Further information is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-applying-for-uk- visa-approved-english-language-tests。
  Christine Douglas
  National Lead for Temporary Migration
  重点内容在于:
  1:正式确认(HOME OFFICE)英国移民局/内政部与ETS(美国教育考试服务中心)之间的考点授权合同从2014年4月6日开始终止(不再续约)。本应该4月6日就确认 的情况但是截至到17号公布,是否是因为谈判没有达成一致,或者说ETS(美国教育考试服务中心)的努力最后没有获得成功?不得而知。
  2:受此公告影响,ETS(美国教育考试服务中心)旗下的托业和托福成绩将都不在被英国移民局/内政部认可。换句话说,很多持有托福考试成绩的考生 有可能面临需要重新选择语言考试的尴尬难题,因为移民局正式不承认所有托福和托业考试成绩,也就意味着必须提供一个替代考试成绩,例如雅思成绩。
  3:受此公告影响,内政部建议所有英国境内的担保人,包括大学,雇主以及其他需要审核英语成绩的机构都应该取消相应的担保资格。(邮件里的表达方式是典型的英式方式,说法是:如果你希望取消提供给申请人的担保号码,你应该从你的网上管理系统取消,申请者的签证会被拒绝)。
  4:潜在法律纠纷:正如第3条所说,如果英国大学不取消对录取学生申请签证的担保资格,内政部将比较尴尬,因为按照现行的移民法规,积分制的情况 下,如果申请人获得了第四等级的T4学生签证分数45分,移民局是必须要给予签证的。因为:4月17日公布的新公告,不是移民法,不具有法律效力,因为要 提交新的移民法修改草案到通过审议成为法律还需要时间(截至到今日,2014年4月17日,内政部官方网站上移民法附表中ETS仍然是被承认的考试)。但 是如果大学主动承担了取消担保人资格的责任,内政部就可以名正言顺的拒绝签证申请。
  5:后续问题处理:从今日的系统公告来看,仅仅是一个预告,很多具体的细节没有涉及到。包括已经递交签证的申请人应该如何处理自己的签证申请,包括如果没有时间考试获得新的语言成绩的申请人应该如何处理等等。相信内政部后续也将陆续公布更多的实施细节。
  ETS官方回应:
  ETS也紧急的发布了一个关于此公告的声明,对与英国内政部不能续约表示遗憾并且重申仅仅是托业考试中心有问题,托福考试仍然是安全可靠的。同时承诺将进一步提高对考试的监察程度,甚至包括生物语音信息识别措施。
  总体感觉来说,英国内政部这次针对ETS的调查及停止续约行为很大程度上反应了内政部对于类似问题的严重性已经意识到并且决定下力气改正,虽然托福考试成绩受到牵连,但是并不意味着以后没有机会重新进入内政部的审核清单中。
  ETS: Update on TOEFL? Testing in the U.K。
  Following the broadcast of a BBC Panorama program in February 2014 which highlighted an organized criminal element seeking to circumvent the U.K.’s visa-granting process, ETS has made the decision not to extend our Secure English-language Testing (SELT) license with the Home Office. As a result, TOEIC? and TOEFL iBT? testing will no longer be offered for U.K. visa-granting purposes。
  We appreciate the Home Office's recognition that while the TOEFL and TOEIC tests shared a SELT license, the fraud uncovered by the BBC program was limited to TOEIC testing. Security measures around the TOEFL test were never under question. The TOEFL test remains the most widely respected English-language test in the world recognized by more than 9,000 institutions in more than 130 countries。
  Security is and always has been a top priority; however, we’ve made this decision in response to the security challenges portrayed in the BBC program. We acknowledge that we fell short of our own high standards and sincerely regret the dishonest activities of third party contractors in the U.K. whose job it was to administer the TOEIC tests honestly and fairly. When applied properly, our global security protocols prevent and detect incidents of fraud. Going forward we will continue to implement additional, stricter, best-in-class security measures for our tests, including biometric voice analyses, to ensure our test scores remain the most trustworthy in the world。
  Students seeking more information on test cancellation and refund policies related to U.K. visa testing should contact
  原文地址:http://www.tingroom.com/listen/tuofu/339065.html