The London Olympic Games will be the biggest ever event that the UK has hosted and millions of visitors are expected during the busy summer period in 2012.

London Olympic Games

The UKBA or British Embassy postings will process applications and will issue your visa with a start date that will cover you for the whole Olympic and Paralympic Games period, provided you meet the requirements.

You can use the Do I need a visa? Questionnaire and guide to find out if you need to apply for a visa. If you are coming to watch the Games as a visitor, you will be allowed to stay in the UK for up to 6 months in most cases.

It should be noted that those seeking jobs overseas cannot work on a tourist visa.

See the Olympic and Paralympic Games section for more information.

Souce: UK Border Agency.

See also:

Could David Cameron’s EU veto spell the end of ‘free movement of labour rights’ and mass immigration from Eastern Europe?

Illegal immigrants find loophole to get in to UK on a Eurostar train from Lille straight into London St Pancras

UK net migration at record high

Employment restrictions for Bulgarians and Romanians extended until end of 2013

EU and non-EU workers take more UK jobs as number of Britons in work plunges

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk

The Government has made a ‘minor technical change’ to the evidential requirements for settlement: 

‘From 31 October, migrants under Tier 2 and work permit holders will need to provide supporting documents as proof of their income before they are granted settlement’. 

In practice, proof of income is normally requested by caseworkers when considering an application for extensions or ILR, but the changes to the Immigration Rules sets this in stone.

Cynthia Barker, of Immigration Advisers Bison UK, warns that this minor change should be of major concern to work permit and Tier 2 visa holders who are not being paid the correct salaries – i.e. as stated on their work permits. 

‘Migrant workers often find themselves being compromised by employers who basically state salary information on immigration forms in order to obtain a work permit but do not actually pay the agreed rate to the worker. 

‘In some cases the worker has agreed to the deception, but in others they are unaware or forced to go along with the ’arrangement’ (which the UK Border Agency would consider as a fraudulent application) in order to keep their jobs and stay in the UK.’ 

In most cases for Senior Care Worker work permits, the required minimum pay rate was £7.02 per hour and it was on this basis that a work permit would have been issued. If you are not receiving this rate or more you will have problems renewing your visa or applying for ILR. Your visa could also be cancelled following a UK Border Agency inspection and file check.

Employers – who are advised to carry out regular file audits on all migrant workers before they get a visit from the UKBA - may get a slap on the wrist or a civil penalty, but the worker could face a refusal and eventual deportation.

Cynthia Barker advises workers who are being paid below the legal rate to talk to ‘their employers or seek further advice’. If a settlement cannot be reached the worker may have to find another employer.

See also:

National Minimum Wage rates rise this month but are you being paid the correct rate?

Health care workers needed in UK now – Bulgarian and Romanian citizens wanted by employers

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk

Valid applications that were received on or before the 1 March 2011 will be considered at the 4 March panel and all sponsors who have made such an application will be notified of the outcome by 11 March 2011.

Sponsors can continue to use the existing CoS (AR) form after 1 March 2011 to apply for certificates of sponsorship for extensions of Tier 2 (General) or work permit leave where the leave expires before the proposed introduction of the permanent limit on 6 April 2011.

The UK Border Agency (UKBA) will no longer accept applications made on the CoS (AR) form after 1 March for new jobs or for switching into Tier 2 (General).

From 6 April 2011 the UKBA propose to make changes to the Tier 2 eligibility criteria and also introduce an annual limit on migrant numbers. Further details of the limit and what will be included can be found on the UKBA website.

Please note that any certificates of sponsorship issued under the interim limit that are not assigned by the sponsor to a migrant prior to 6 April 2011 will be cancelled.

See also:

Senior Carers to be removed from Shortage Occupations list following MAC recommendation

Dominica and St Lucia: Visa Waiver Test Outcome announced by Home Office

UK to increase immigration fees from 6 April

College raided by UKBA and Police, five staff arrested on suspicion of immigration crimes

Tier 2 Working visa reforms announced by UK Border Agency 

UKBA ‘failing on Tier 2 visa controls’ report finds

Arsenal’s football team – playing the immigration game

Immigration visa cap grounds Airbus UK recruitment plans

71 shortage occupations to be removed from Tier 2 visas in points-based shake up

MAC’s new list of graduate level occupations for Tier 2

Immigration cap on foreign staff will compromise patient care says NHS

London Mayor’s new attack on UK Immigration Cap

Interim Immigration Cap unlawful High Court Judges Rule

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: 

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk

The UK completed a global review of visa requirements for visitors coming to the country last year.

As a result of this the government considered introducing visa regimes for two countries in the eastern Caribbean – St Lucia and Dominica. On the 02 March 2011, a joint Written Ministerial Statement signed by the Home Secretary and the Foreign Secretary, was laid in Parliament stating that a visa regime would not be introduced to St Lucia and Dominica.

Dominica and St Lucia have made concrete improvements to the immigration, border control and identity systems which would not have happened without the Test. In recognition of the progress made, visitors from Dominica and St Lucia will therefore continue to be able to travel to the UK without the need for a visa. Ends.

Source: Home Office.

See also: 

UK to increase immigration fees from 6 AprilCollege raided by UKBA and Police, five staff arrested on suspicion of immigration crimes

Tier 2 Working visa reforms announced by UK Border Agency 

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: 

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk

Led away in Cuffs

The UK Border Agency have released information that five senior staff at Castle College have been arrested in Gateshead and Newcastle on suspicion of ‘immigration crimes’ during a series of co-ordinated raids yesterday.

The agency said that the arrests followed an extensive investigation carried out by the UK Border Agency North East immigration crime team into Castle College, Park Road, Felling, Gateshead.

The UK Border Agency has now suspended the college’s licence to enrol overseas students. Officers from the agency were on site this morning to advise and assist any genuine students arriving for their studies.

Four of those arrested are senior staff at the college, and were held on suspicion of using the college to facilitate immigration offences. The other person arrested was a student at the college who was found to have breached the terms of her visa.

The Monday morning raids targeted residential addresses in Saltwell Road, Gateshead, and Moorside Court, Newcastle, as well as the college itself. Those arrested on suspicion of facilitating immigration offences are a 37-year-old Pakistani woman, a 41-year-old Pakistani man, a 37-year-old Pakistani man and a 33-year-old Bangladeshi man. All are now being interviewed at police stations in Newcastle. A substantial amount of cash was also seized from a safe at the college.

A simultaneous operation at an address in Ellesmere Road, Newcastle, uncovered the Nigerian student who had overstayed her visa. She was arrested and steps will now be taken to remove her from the country.

Jeremy Oppenheim, regional director for the UK Border Agency, said:

‘The UK Border Agency takes immigration crime very seriously and will not hesitate to take the strongest possible action against those involved.

‘We have dedicated teams of UK Border Agency investigators working with police officers across the country to protect our border and prosecute those criminals who undermine and abuse our immigration control.’

Paul Foggin, who leads the UK Border Agency North East immigration crime team, said:

‘The raids that took place this morning are the result of a long and complex investigation. Those arrested are now in police custody and will be questioned today.’

Ukrainian woman jailed for 5 years over immigration scam

Indian Restaurant owner jailed for employing illegal immigrants

UK Border Agency taking tough line on illegal working but employers are still confused

CYNTHIA BARKER SAYS EMPLOYERS WHO ISSUE TIER 2 CERTIFICATES IN ERROR SHATTER MIGRANT WORKERS’ LIVES

YES, SENIOR CARERS ARE HAVING PROBLEMS OBTAINING ILR UNDER 5 YEAR RULE

Tier 2 Working visa reforms announced by UK Border Agency 

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: 

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk

The immigration Minister Damian Green has issued a Written Ministerial Statement (PDF 91KB opens in a new window) that proposes to increase immigration and nationality application fees for all those applying to study, visit, work or stay in the UK, the Home Office announced this week.

The new ‘proposed’ fees (PDF 229KB opens in a new window) will be laid before Parliament in two separate regulations, but will not come into force untill they have been debated and approved in by Members of Parliament (MP’s). However, the statement said the new fees are ‘due to take effect from 6 April 2011’.

Under the current government spending review, the Home Office must implement a real terms reduction in budgets of up to a 20 per cent.

The UK Border Agency (part of the Home Office) is already ‘seeking to offset this income gap with efficiency savings of approximately £500 million by reducing support costs, increasing efficiencies, boosting productivity and improving value for money from commercial suppliers’.

The Home Office announcement states that these measures will ‘not go far enough’, and to address the funding shortfall the UK Border Agency will need to increase fees for financial year 2011/12.

The UK Border Agency believe the proposals to increase fees continue to ’strike the right balance between maintaining secure and effective border controls and ensuring that the fees structure does not inhibit the UK’s ability to attract those migrants and visitors that make a valued contribution’. This will ‘help to support the immigration system, maintain public confidence and ensure that migration is managed for the benefit of the UK’, the agency said.

The Guardian said:

‘The Home Office has long been able to levy a surcharge above the normal administrative costs of processing applications, but many migrants and visitors now face fees that are four to five times the actual cost of dealing with applications.’

The new fees regime includes looks set to double the charge for a short-term student visa to £140.

For instance, a whacking charge of £2,214, up from £2,050, will be levied on applications made at a public enquiry office for indefinite leave to remain (ILR), on behalf of a dependent relative –for instance an elderly parent.

The cost of applying for a 10-year visitor’s visa from outside the UK is to rise £52 to £702, a postal application for indefinite leave to remain in the UK will be £972 and a single application for British citizenship will be £836. The fee for a joint application for British citizenship will rise from £1,010 to £1,294.

A tier one, highly skilled, visa – under the points based system – will cost £1,000; a sponsored skilled migrant, classed under tier two, will be charged £550 to apply by post or £850 to apply in person at a public enquiry office. These charges contrast with the £95 charged for a work permit back in March 2003

See also:

Senior Carers to be removed from Shortage Occupations list following MAC recommendation

Tier 2 Working visa reforms announced by UK Border Agency

71 shortage occupations to be removed from Tier 2 visas in points-based shake up

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: 

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk

Ukranian national, Halyna Semenikhina, 42-years-old of Well Street in Hackney was found guilty of assisting illegal immigration and money laundering on Wednesday 16 February following a trial at Southwark Crown Court. The judge sentenced her to 5 years in prison.

Her prosecution followed a raid on the Lanesborough Hotel on Hyde Park Corner on 12 August 2010. Two contract cleaners were arrested for immigration offences. They told officers that Semenikhina was their boss.

Investigators from the London immigration crime team discovered that Semenikhina was responsible for recruiting and supervising the employees. She had their wages paid direct into her bank account, and would charge them at least £200 per week for accommodation.

Financial investigations revealed that, at the time of her arrest, Semenikhina had more than £380,000 in her numerous bank accounts.

Chris Foster, London immigration crime team, UK Border Agency said:

‘This woman cruelly exploited the desperation of others for her own personal financial gain.

‘As this case shows, illegal immigration can be big business. I hope this sends out a message that we are committed to tackling the criminals behind it, putting the ringleaders before the courts, and, ultimately behind bars.

‘Proceeds of Crime Act proceedings are now underway, to confiscate her assets and ensure that Halyna Semenikhina never benefits from her criminality. She also faces deportation at the end of her sentence.’

The London immigration crime team is a specialist unit of police officers seconded from the Metropolitan Police working alongside warranted UK Border Agency officers to investigate organised immigration crime.

Anyone who has information about immigration crime can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 anonymously. Source: UK Border Agency

Last week Immigration Matters report that the owner of three Indian restaurants in Cumbria, in the North of England, had been jailed for two years for employing illegal immigrants. 

The government are taking a tougher line against persistent and deliberate immigration offenders by imposing criminal rather than civil penalties.

Employers who fall foul of the law normally risk a £10,000 civil penalty for employing an illegal immigrant, but the threat of a term in prison and a criminal record is a far more serious deterrent.

Despite the threat of £10,000 fines and a widely publicised information campaign, many employers are slipping up because there is still a lot of confusion surrounding the whole area of employing foreign nationals, students and even EU workers.

For instance a common assumption is that all members of the European Union have the same rights. Wrong. Not all EU members have the right to freely work in the UK.

As members of the European Union, Bulgarians have visa-free access to the UK, however, like Romanians, they do not enjoy the same treaty rights to work at the moment as the earlier A8 Eastern European EU accession countries such as Poland and Latvia.

Employers cannot employ a Romanian or Bulgarian worker in the same way they can a Polish or other A8 accession country citizen.

Many Romanians and Bulgarians register as self employed and start businesses, which is allowed, or work and study on a Yellow Card Visa. Romanian and Bulgarian Students taking work related vocational or sandwich courses, such as NVQ in Health and Social Care, are allowed to work full time, as stated on their Yellow Cards.

Other issues which cause confusion are overseas workers on student visas and dependants of Tier 4 students and Tier 2 working visa holders.

Immigration Adviser Evelie Padadac said:

‘My employer clients are so confused by the rules surrounding Tier 2 and Tier 4 Student Visas, and in particular Romanian and Bulgarian workers who despite being EU members do not have the automatic right to work here, that they are risking huge fines.’

This week the Home Office has unveiled details of a proposed major overhaul to the Tier 2 working visa route scrapping many of the procedures brought in by the previous Government.

Employers are advised to carry out an annual ‘health check’ or employee file audit to ensure that work permit holders and workers on student visas are still legal and avoid fines of up to £10,000 or even prison.

Evelie Padadac is an OISC registered immigration adviser with Bison Management UK specializing in work and study related visas as well as a file checking audit service for employers. For a free consultation call her on 0208 905 1822.

See article:

UK Border Agency launch new website

The newly revised UK Border Agency website has a better look and feel and navigation seems faster, but previously published links to specific pages of the site may no longer exist.

For instance, the link for European Workers is now:

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/eucitizens/bulgaria-romania/work-permits/applying/

The link for ‘Bulgarian and Romanian nationals‘ is:

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/eucitizens/bulgaria-romania/work-permits/

The UK Border Agency and Home Office website contains a vast amount of information which can be difficult to wade your way through the guidance and Immigration Rules.

The navigation section for European workers from Bulgaria and Romania also appears to have been simplified although finding specific information is still a challenge.

Confusion remains over the need for Bulgarians and Romanians applying for BR1 Yellow Cards as students to take out Comprehensive Sickness Insurance cover. 

The BR1 Form in Section 9 states:

‘If sections 4 (Students) and 5 (Self-sufficient) have been completed: evidence of ‘Comprehensive Sickness Insurance’ cover in the UK and funds to show you are economically self-sufficient, e.g. a bank statement.’

In other words, the paragraph means you need comprehensive sickness insurance only if you are applying under both ‘student’ and ‘self sufficient’ sections.

Nevertheless, student applicants are being asked to take out private medical insurance policies and are being refused if they fail to supply the correct cover.

What is the correct insurance cover?

One insurance company manager told Immigration Matters that he has been trying to get clarification on the exact requirements from the UK Border Agency for several weeks.

Active Quote offers an easy to use online quotation and application system, but also has telephone support from advisers who are on hand to answer questions.

To obtain a quotation for Comprehensive Sickness Insurance visit the Active Quote website.  

See article:

UK Border Agency launch new website

The newly revised UK Border Agency website has a better look and feel and navigation seems faster, but previously published links to specific pages of the site may no longer exist.

For instance, the link for European Workers is now:

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/eucitizens/bulgaria-romania/work-permits/applying/

The link for ‘Bulgarian and Romanian nationals‘ is:

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/eucitizens/bulgaria-romania/work-permits/

The UK Border Agency and Home Office website contains a vast amount of information which can be difficult to wade your way through the guidance and Immigration Rules.

The navigation section for European workers from Bulgaria and Romania also appears to have been simplified although finding specific information is still a challenge.

Confusion remains over the need for Bulgarians and Romanians applying for BR1 Yellow Cards as students to take out Comprehensive Sickness Insurance cover. 

The BR1 Form in Section 9 states:

‘If sections 4 (Students) and 5 (Self-sufficient) have been completed: evidence of ‘Comprehensive Sickness Insurance’ cover in the UK and funds to show you are economically self-sufficient, e.g. a bank statement.’

In other words, the paragraph means you need comprehensive sickness insurance only if you are applying under both ‘student’ and ‘self sufficient’ sections.

Nevertheless, student applicants are being asked to take out private medical insurance policies and are being refused if they fail to supply the correct cover.

What is the correct insurance cover?

One insurance company manager told Immigration Matters that he has been trying to get clarification on the exact requirements from the UK Border Agency for several weeks.

Active Quote offers an easy to use online quotation and application system, but also has telephone support from advisers who are on hand to answer questions.

To obtain a quotation for Comprehensive Sickness Insurance visit the Active Quote website. 

See also:

Indian Restaurant owner jailed for employing illegal immigrants

UK Border Agency taking tough line on illegal working but employers are still confused

CYNTHIA BARKER SAYS EMPLOYERS WHO ISSUE TIER 2 CERTIFICATES IN ERROR SHATTER MIGRANT WORKERS’ LIVES

YES, SENIOR CARERS ARE HAVING PROBLEMS OBTAINING ILR UNDER 5 YEAR RULE

Tier 2 Working visa reforms announced by UK Border Agency

71 shortage occupations to be removed from Tier 2 visas in points-based shake up

Immigration cap on foreign staff will compromise patient care says NHS

Australia to speed up skilled migrant applications to boost economy

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: 

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk

A judge at Carlisle Crown Court told Mohammed Hifzuil Rahman, 46, he had “exploited” vulnerable people in pursuit of money.

“I find it very difficult to accept that this was done for humanitarian reasons,” Judge Peter Hughes QC said. “I don’t accept that you were motivated simply by altruism or compassion.”

Rahman was charged in March 2010 after police and UK Border Agency officers found a total of seven illegal immigrants living and working at two of his restaurants – the Red Fort in St John’s Street, Keswick, and the Taj Mahal in Main Street, Sedbergh.

By that time, prosecuting counsel Tim Evans said, he had already been given three formal warnings about his conduct and issued with civil penalties totalling £55,000 after illegal immigrants were found in his restaurants on previous occasions.

Mr Evans said the men were failed asylum seekers, whom to Rahman gave food and accommodation in “basic and cramped conditions” in return for work.

Rahman, who also owns the Spice Merchant in Main Street, Grange, pleaded guilty to seven charges of “assisting unlawful immigration by providing living accommodation and employment which facilitated a breach of the immigration laws”.

In mitigation, defence counsel Andrew Ford said that though Rahman had been responsible for the men working in his restaurants, they had been overseen by managers, not by him. He said Rahman had warned his managers about illegally employing asylum seekers, and their continuing to do so was due to their “incompetence”.

He admitted Rahman had not been sufficiently “rigorous”, but suggested it was better for the men to be given work rather than be allowed to “disappear”.

“Giving them succour is better than the gutter,” he said.

Judge Hughes said the case was aggravated by way Rahman had gone on employing the immigrants “in defiance” of the three warnings he had been given. He rejected Rahman’s claim that, as a devout Muslim, he was bound to provide shelter for other Muslims.

“We are all subject, in equal measure, to the laws of the land, whatever our faith and whatever our cultural background,” he said.

He said he realised Rahman’s wife and six children, who live in Rochdale, would suffer from his being sent to prison. And he said he knew that, with Rahman already £100,000 in debt, the sentence could affect “the ability of the restaurant business to continue”.

But he said illegal immigration into this country was such a serious problem that those assisting it had to be dealt with severely.

Source: News and Star www.newsandstar.co.uk
This story will send shivers through the spines of those who knowingly illegally employ migrant workers, as well as some who are worried that they might be employing a worker without the correct paperwork.

Employers normally risk a £10,000 civil penalty for employing an illegal immigrant, but the threat of a term in prison and criminal action is a whole new ball game.

Despite the threat of £10,000 fines and a widely publicised information campaign, many employers are slipping up because there is still a lot of confusion surrounding the whole area of employing foreign nationals and even EU workers.

For instance a common assumption is that all members of the European Union have the same rights. Wrong. Not all EU members have the right to freely work in the UK.

As members of the European Union, Bulgarians have visa-free access to the UK, however, like Romanians, they do not enjoy the same treaty rights to work as the earlier A8 Eastern European EU accession countries such as Poland and Latvia.

Employers cannot employ a Romanian or Bulgarian worker in the same way they can a Polish or other A8 accession country citizen.

Many Romanians and Bulgarians register as self employed and start businesses, which is allowed, or work and study on a Yellow Card Visa. Romanian and Bulgarian Students taking vocational or sandwich courses, such as NVQ in Health and Social Care, are allowed to work full time, as stated on their Yellow Cards.

Other issues which cause confusion are overseas workers on student visas and dependants of Tier 4 students and Tier 2 working visa holders.

Immigration Adviser Evelie Padadac said:

‘My employer clients are so confused by the rules surrounding Tier 2 and Tier 4 Student Visas, and in particular Romanian and Bulgarian workers who despite being EU members do not have the automatic right to work here, that they are risking huge fines.’

This week the Home Office has unveiled details of a proposed major overhaul to the Tier 2 working visa route scrapping many of the procedures brought in by the previous Government.

Employers are advised to carry out an annual ‘health check’ or employee file audit to ensure that work permit holders and workers on student visas are still legal and avoid fines of up to £10,000 or even prison.

Evelie Padadac is an OISC registered immigration adviser with Bison Management UK specializing in work and study related visas as well as a file checking audit service for employers. For a free consultation call her on 0208 905 1822.

See also:

UK Border Agency taking tough line on illegal working but employers are still confused

CYNTHIA BARKER SAYS EMPLOYERS WHO ISSUE TIER 2 CERTIFICATES IN ERROR SHATTER MIGRANT WORKERS’ LIVES

YES, SENIOR CARERS ARE HAVING PROBLEMS OBTAINING ILR UNDER 5 YEAR RULE

Tier 2 Working visa reforms announced by UK Border Agency

Immigration visa cap grounds Airbus UK recruitment plans

71 shortage occupations to be removed from Tier 2 visas in points-based shake up

Immigration cap on foreign staff will compromise patient care says NHS

Australia to speed up skilled migrant applications to boost economy

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: 

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk

The unidentified Home Office employee used his access to security databases to include his wife on a watch list of people banned from boarding flights into Britain because their presence in the country is ‘not conducive to the public good’.

As a result the woman was unable for three years to return to the UK from Pakistan after travelling to the county to visit family.

The tampering and abuse of power went undetected until the immigration officer was selected for promotion and his wife name was found on the suspects’ list during a vetting inquiry.

The Home Office confirmed this week that the officer has been sacked for ‘gross misconduct’.

The Mail commented that the incident is ‘likely to raise new questions over levels of efficiency in the UK Border Agency, the organisation formed nearly three years ago by then Home Secretary Jacqui Smith to take over all immigration controls’.

The agency has been criticised for poor performance by the Parliamentary Ombudsman and has suffered its share of humiliating incidents – for example the incident 19 months ago when an illegal immigrant escaped from the channel tunnel port at Folkestone by clinging to the underside of a bus carrying Border Agency staff. Source: Daily Mail

London immigration forgery factory man jailed

Thirteen immigration offenders seized in Wales raid

UK Border Agency to continue crackdown on illegal working

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: 

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk

Employers – Do you need a file audit?

Don’t wait for a visit from the UK Border Agency – get your staff files checked by a professional Immigration Adviser and protect yourself from multiple fines of up to £10,000 per illegal worker.

Bison UK carry out full file audits for employers at your premises - For more details call Evelie on 0208 905 1822

Even NHS hospitals are not immune to immigration raids with 20 suspects held at a London trust.

This week thirteen immigration offenders have been caught following a series of raids across Wales by immigration officers, the UK Border Agency (UKBA) reports. Further raids are being carried out bu UKBA regional teams up and down the country.

The latest raids took place in Cardiff, Rhyl and the Amman and Swansea valleys on Wednesday (19 January) and were based on intelligence (tip off) of illegal working at 4 businesses.

In Rhyl, a raid was carried out at Seagull International Foods, 31-32 Bedford Street, at 15:30.

Immigration checks revealed 2 men from Pakistan, aged 28 and 33, were working illegally.

Two Bangladeshi men (aged 27 and 30) who were not seen working and who claimed to be customers, were also found to be in the country illegally.

Three of the men were arrested and remain in detention while steps are taken to deport them.

The 33-year-old from Pakistan was released on immigration bail and must report weekly to a police station while the agency arranges his removal from the UK.

The second raid took place at Central House, 10 Station Road, Ystradgynlais, at 18:20.

There, a 34-year-old Malaysian man was found in bed by officers when they conducted a search of accommodation attached to the takeaway.

The man, who had stayed in the country illegally after his visa expired, was placed on immigration bail (released) while arrangements are made to deport him.

In Cardiff, immigration officers went to Mowgli’s, 151 Crwys Road, entering at 20:40.

Four employees from Bangladesh were found to have no legal right to work in the UK.

A 27-year-old man is in immigration detention pending deportation. Three men aged 24, 28 and 30 have been placed on immigration bail and must report weekly to a police station while the agency arranges their removal from the UK.

Finally, Wok U Like, 63a Station Road, Brynamman, was raided at 20:55. There, 4 more offenders were found working illegally.

Two Chinese men, aged 26 and 30, were arrested and remain in detention ahead of their removal from the UK.

Two Chinese men, aged 24 and 35, were placed on immigration bail (released).

Jane Farleigh, regional director, Wales, UK Border Agency said:

‘Through successful operations like this we are sending a simple message to immigration offenders living and working across Wales – more raids are planned and you will be caught.

‘Illegal working undercuts businesses that stay within the law and exploits foreign workers.

‘As long as there are opportunities for illegal jobs the UK will be an attractive place for illegal migrants – that is why we are putting a stop to employers who do not play by the rules.’

All 4 businesses have been issued with a penalty notice for employing illegal workers.

If the employers cannot prove that the correct right-to-work checks – such as asking for a passport or work permit – were carried out on those found working, a fine of up to £10,000 per illegal employee will be imposed.

Every year, the UK Border Agency imposes civil penalties on thousands of companies which fail to carry out the necessary checks on their staff.

Immigration Minister Damian Green said:

‘These operations are among many being carried out across the UK following the success of a major crackdown on immigration crime during the summer, which generated a large number of arrests, cash seizures and prosecutions.

‘Illegal immigration puts huge pressure on the public purse at a time when the country can least afford it. Together with the police and the Serious Organised Crime Agency we will continue to make life as difficult as possible for those who cheat the immigration system.’

The UKBA said that employers unsure of the steps they need to take to avoid employing illegal workers can visit the Preventing illegal working section of this website or phone our employer helpline on 0300 123 4699.

If you suspect that illegal workers are being employed at a business, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit the Crimestoppers website. Anonymity can be assured. Source: UK Border Agency.

Readers may be puzzled as to why UKBA officers after arresting an overstayer who has been hiding for years then release him on ‘immigration bail’ with an order to report every week.

Immigration officers are no doubt frustrated with a system which forces them to release offenders because, for a variety of reasons, they are unable to deport them immediately and do not have the facilities to hold them for long periods with detention centres bursting at the seams.

For instance, if the overstayer has no passport and his or her country will not allow them to travel back without one, UK authorities have no choice but to hold them in detention centres or release them on bail.

Some countries, such as China, take up to a year to reissue a passport – a process which should take a few days – and clearly show no interest in taking their citizens back.

Thousands of illegal immigrants have been granted rights to remain in Britain permanently after proving they have lived here for 14 years.

A little-known rule, introduced in 2003, allows illegal immigrants to claim indefinite leave to remain (ILR) if they manage to live in Britain’s black economy for long enough or are failed asylum seekers who manage to avoid deportation.

After 14 years they can apply to the Home Office which considers factors such as “compassionate circumstances, strength of connection to the UK and previous criminal record”, before deciding whether an illegal immigrant will be allowed to stay. However, indefinite leave is not automatically granted when an illegal or overstaying immigrant applies to the Home Office. 

Jerry Turner, OISC registered Level 3 Immigration Adviser and appeal specialist said: 

“In practice the Home Office try to refuse many of these applications despite meeting the spirit of them. For example in one case a man had spent the previous 7 years sleeping on a mattress on a factory floor and the Home Office refused because he could not produce his “tenancy agreement” or “bank statements.”

His case was eventually won on appeal.

The leading think tank ippr estimates that removing the estimates 500-750,000 over staying immigrants from the UK will take 20 years and cost £5 billion. 

See also:

Brothel owning pimp to be deported back to China

UKBA arrest three in people trafficking seaside brothel

UK Border Agency to continue crackdown on illegal working

Thousands of illegal immigrants win right to stay in Britain under 14 year rule

UK immigration fall unlikely in 2011 say leading think tank

20 suspected illegal immigrants held in raid on London NHS hospitals

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: 

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk

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