An investigation by The Daily Telegraph has revealed an apparent racket of Pakistani-occupied Kashmir (PoK) migrants who are said to be obtaining UK entry visas using fake documents—most of whom then seek asylum after entering the country.
The British newspaper reported that some migrants are shelling out up to £50,000 to acquire visa applications infused with fabricated data. The probe named a consultant from Mirpur, PoK, as one of the conduits behind arranging the visa scam.
One of the visa applications examined in the investigation involved a fake work reference from a fictional hospital in the PoK area, the report added.
Pakistan is now the leading nation on the UK's list of asylum-seeker nationalities, followed by such countries as Afghanistan, Iran, and Bangladesh. Pakistanis are not a large component among the people who enter the UK illegally in small boats, though.
"They don't have to arrive on tiny boats because they arrive on visas. They are amongst one of the largest groups that arrive on visas and do not return," immigration lawyer Harjap Bhangal told the newspaper.
As part of the sting operation, a reporter applied for a job as a visa applicant while employing a doctored CV and forged employment confirmation letter—which were presented in support of a UK work visa application that was eventually granted.
Following the probe's revelations, the UK Home Office assured that it has opened a formal investigation into the reported misuse of the Skilled Worker visa pathway.
"Illegal activity will not be tolerated and we will do everything in our power to make sure our immigration rules are respected and enforced," said a Home Office official.
"That is why we are investigating these allegations and already taking tough action to disrupt illegal activity when it is encountered, such as suspending licences, pursuing enforcement, and bolstering safeguards to safeguard the integrity of the immigration system," the statement further added.
The Home Office also disclosed that in the last year, visa applications decreased by 40 per cent, approximately 30,000 illegal immigrants have been deported, and arrests from illegal working raids increased by 51 per cent.
It also spoke of new powers set to be introduced to suspend registered advisers and organisations guilty of the most serious abuses of the immigration system.
Under UK law, those who have been found producing or enabling false visa applications overseas can be reported to Action Fraud, with such information to be reviewed by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau.
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