More UK visa applicants arrested for identity fraud

Thursday, 11 August 2011 00:20 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Two Sri Lankan visa applicants have been arrested in the last two weeks for using deception and false identities to apply for UK visas. They were referred by the UK Border Agency to CID police in Colombo.

The visa applicants were applying for settlement and student dependant visas. The two visa applications have been refused and the applicants will have a 10 year ban on travel to the UK. In addition they now face prosecution for their actions.

UK Border Agency Entry Clearance Manager, Claire Murray, said: “We will not tolerate abuse of the UK’s immigration rules. Where we see abuse, we will take action against those involved. I would strongly advise visa applicants not to submit false documents and not to use false identities or other forms of deception.”

The UK Border Agency uncovered this deception because it takes biometric data from customers as an integral part of the visa application process.

The UK Border Agency operates a single force to protect the UK’s borders, control migration for the benefit of the country, prevent border tax fraud, smuggling and immigration crime, and to make decisions on asylum applications.

UK visa applicants worldwide are required to provide their biometric data as part of the visa application process. Each time a customer applies for a visa they need to have their fingers scanned and a digital photograph taken at the visa application centre.

Biometric data collection protects customers’ identities from being misused by others and is an important tool in combating visa fraud and crime. Biometric data are checked against various UK government databases in the UK.

Biometrics will uncover, for example, those applicants who have previously been refused a visa, even if they apply in a different name in another part of the world.

It will allow the UK Border Agency to check that the person travelling is the same one to whom the visa was given.

It will make travel to, and stay in the UK, safer. It makes it easier to detect, document and remove those persons who do not or no longer have a basis to stay in the UK. It also makes it easier to identity and facilitate the travel of frequent and bona fide customers.