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The British government has launched an investigation following reports that migrants are being advised to make false claims of being gay or victims of domestic violence in order to remain in the country, Downing Street said Thursday.
The prime minister’s spokesman said the Home Office and the Immigration Advice Authority were working to ensure “anyone potentially abusing our immigration system is held accountable.”
No 10 added that there were “robust safeguards” to ensure claims are “rigorously and fairly assessed.”
The investigation follows a BBC report uncovering how migrants whose visas are due to expire are being given fake cover stories and instructed in how to obtain fabricated evidence, including supporting letters, photographs and medical reports.
Exploitation of asylum and domestic abuse rules
According to the BBC, some law firms and advisers are charging thousands of pounds to coach migrants on how to claim they are gay and in fear for their lives if returned to Pakistan or Bangladesh in order to apply for asylum.
The broadcaster also discovered that some migrants are exploiting rules introduced by ministers to help genuine victims of domestic abuse secure permanent residence more quickly than through other routes, such as asylum.
In some cases, migrants have duped British partners into relationships and marriage before making false domestic abuse claims after moving to the UK.
The number of people claiming fast-track residency on the basis of domestic abuse has reached more than 5,500 per year, a figure that has risen by more than 50 percent in just three years.
Government response
“Any attempt to misuse protections designed to protect genuine victims from the devastation of domestic abuse is shameful and completely unacceptable,” the prime minister’s spokesman told reporters.
“The home secretary has been clear that those trying to defraud the British people to remain in the UK will have their application refused and find themselves on a one-way flight out of Britain.
He added: “Where unethical and illegal practices are identified and evidence exists, legal practitioners will be referred to the police through the relevant regulatory body.”
No timeframe was given for the investigation.
Regulator condemns ‘abhorrent abuse’
Immigration Services Commissioner Gaon Hart, who oversees the regulation of immigration advisers, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme there was “abhorrent abuse of the system” and that a minority of advisers were damaging the sector’s reputation.
“Wherever there is potential for greed, there is and will be abuse and we will be addressing it,” he said.
Hart noted that there had been a significant number of enforcement actions last year following complaints against people giving unregulated advice or manipulating the system.
He called for “greater clarity and simplicity in the system” and appealed for more people to report suspicions of malpractice.
