ISLAMABAD: As part of a global campaign the UK Border Agency in
Pakistan has continued its efforts to stop illegal migration and crack
down on criminal gangs involved in sham marriages. In Pakistan, over
200 people were stopped from travelling illegally to the UK; 12 people
were arrested in a Slovak/Pakistani sham marriage scam; and almost 6000
forged documents submitted with UK visa applications were identified,
says a press release issued here on Thursday.
Carol Doughty,
the UK Border Agency Regional Director for Pakistan said, “We welcome
genuine travellers from Pakistan and between January and March 2011
issued over 35,000 visas to Pakistani nationals.
“But we will
not tolerate immigration abuse and will punish those who break
immigration laws. Our aim isn’t just to prevent illegal migration but
also identify and take out those criminals behind these immigration
scams”, said Carol Doughty. Tackling sham marriage in February 2011, 12
people a mixture of Pakistani and Slovak nationals - were arrested
following an investigation begun by the UK Border Agency in Islamabad
into criminal gangs organizing sham marriages.
Slovakian
females would fly to Pakistan and enter into marriages with the
Pakistani males. Documentation would then be provided to the males to
support a visa application. The documentation was generally forged in
an attempt to make it appear that the Slovakian females lived and
worked in the UK. Stopping illegal travelers between January and March
2011 the UK Border Agency worked with air carriers in Pakistan to stop
214 passengers who were intending to travel to the UK without the
proper documentation from flights from Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and
Peshawar. Additionally, a 40 year old man from Karachi was jailed for
six years nine months on Friday (29 July) after trying to smuggle
heroin through Manchester Airport.
Detecting fraud cases, UK
Border Agency officers receive detailed forgery and detection training
and last year they detected close to 6,000 forged travels or supporting
documents in visa applications made in Pakistan. Pakistan has one of
the highest levels of forgery detection in visa applications.
In
many cases forged documents are submitted on an applicant’s behalf by
unscrupulous agents. Applications made using fraudulent documents or
attempting deception will be refused and applicants will face a ban of
up to ten years from entering the UK. These checks are also used to
identify genuine documents, and thus speed up the processing of
legitimate visa applications.
Immigration Minister Damian Green
said, “Our investigations into organized immigration crime both in the
UK and abroad mean we know the scams the gangs use and can keep one
step ahead. The message is clear - the UK is no longer an easy touch.”
On the other hand, the UK Border Agency is responsible for securing the
UK border and controlling migration in the UK. A sham marriage
typically occurs when a non-European national marries someone from the
European Economic Area, including the UK, as means of attempting to
gain long-term residency and the right to work and claim benefits. All
visa holders arriving at the UK border are subject to further control
by an immigration officer. In addition to its work overseas, the UK
Border Agency is also actively working in the UK to remove individuals
of all nationalities who are living without legal immigration status. Online
