The Sun reported this today as a follow up to its expose yesterday of rogue agents bringing Nepalis and Bangladeshis into the labour market here, by abusing student visas.

According to today’s report, the daily had, back in August 11, alerted the Higher Education Ministry to the operations of a bogus college, which is one of many that these foreigners use as fronts to be in the country, posing as students.

A check on the ministry’s website showed that the college’s licence had expired on March 15, while its permit to enroll foreign students had expired in February last year, but as of yesterday, the college was still operating.

The Sun emailed the ministry over the matter, but all it got in reply was that the ministry was “currently looking into the matter”, and that it could not comment on any cases “currently undergoing investigation”.

The Immigration Department told the daily that it can only act against foreign workers if they do not have proper documents.

Education Global Services Malaysia, the agency tasked to process student visas, said it was “following procedures”, including checking the validity of an institution’s registration with the ministry.

The daily also conducted checks at three colleges which offered “study and work” packages – most of them located in central Kuala Lumpur.

According to the report, all the colleges had similar qualities – fancy buildings, but vague details about courses offered and equally dodgy social media presence.

Yesterday’s report said that agents claiming to be “education consultants” were bringing in thousands of men from Nepal and Bangladesh using student visas, only for them to end-up as lowly-paid workers in the manufacturing, construction and plantation industries once they arrived here.