Police in Nuremberg have uncovered large-scale fraud involving German language exams and naturalization tests. According to the Middle Franconia police headquarters on Monday, the main suspect allegedly acted as an intermediary, sending test-takers with strong German skills to sit exams on behalf of migrants seeking residence permits or naturalization. Fees for each exam ranged from 2,500 to 6,000 euros.
Police said that previous investigations had involved forged language certificates. In this new scheme, test-takers presented falsified documents bearing their own photos but the personal data of the individuals who needed the language certificate or naturalization test. This made it impossible for examiners to detect the deception. As a result, they issued genuine certificates, which were then used to apply for residence permits or citizenship.
The intermediary is a 39-year-old man from Iraq. He has been arrested and is in pre-trial detention. A 22-year-old German man was also arrested in January as he attempted to sit such a proxy exam. In December, ten additional proxy test-takers were identified at a language school in North Rhine-Westphalia while taking exams for others.
The investigation spans the entire country. Based on initial analysis of the evidence, Bavarian investigators stated that a high double-digit number of further cases is expected.
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