POLICE and immigration officials have swooped on banana farms south of Cairns, targeting alleged illegal workers believed to linked to a dodgy employment contractor.

The raids come as English language colleges in Cairns hit back at claims that one in five private colleges is a visa factory for international students wanting to stay in Australia.

Sources said federal authorities pulled up several people who were working illegally on the farms at Tully, although the Australian Federal Police was yesterday unwilling to discuss details about an ongoing operation.

"The Australian Federal Police can confirm it has executed a number of search warrants in the Tully area between March 3 and 8," a spokeswoman said.

"But because the matter is ongoing, it is not appropriate to comment further."

A spokesman for the Department of Immigration said there was activity in the region last week, but immigration officials were there in a support role to AFP officers.

The Cairns Post was told the raids targeted people who came to Australia through one particular contractor and did not have the appropriate visas to be working in the country.

The owners of the farms were not at fault and at no point were in danger of being charged.

Innisfail Banana Growers Association president Mark Nucifora said he was having trouble getting any solid information on the raids.

"I don’t know much to be honest," he said.

"I heard someone say they were looking at people on various farms in the Tully area."

Meanwhile, Cairns language schools have denied the existence of unscrupulous colleges operating in the Far North, rejecting the findings of a Federal Government-commissioned report into international education.

Carol Doyle, vice-president of education network Study Cairns, which represents English language colleges, said it was a blanket statement relating to Sydney, Melbourne and "possibly Brisbane".

"It hasn’t been brought to Study Cairns’ attention that it’s an issue in the Cairns region," she said.

Report author and former Liberal MP Bruce Baird said the industry had been significantly "distorted" by unscrupulous providers that represented about 20 per cent of the vocational sector.

Mr Baird recommended tougher registration criteria for providers and stronger protections for students.

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