Forty-seven Bangladeshi nationals were arrested in the UK in December and January as they were found working illegally during the British Border Agency-enforced operations.
“During the period, a Bangladeshi man has been jailed for 16 months in Scotland for facilitating the unlawful entry of migrants to the UK. He will be liable to deportation on release from prison,” the British High Commission said Monday.
The UK mission in a release said the 46 Bangladeshi men and one woman were found with other nationalities working illegally in widespread enforcement operations in England, Scotland and Wales over two months.
“They were apprehended in restaurants, takeaways, a food factory and a shop, and had committed a range of immigration offences, including staying in the UK after their visas expired, entering the UK illegally and working in breach of their visa conditions. Steps are being taken to return all those apprehended to Bangladesh.”
Fines of up to £10,000 will be imposed on the employers for every illegal worker found in their business, unless the employers can prove that they carried out the correct right-to-work checks on the employees.
Immigration Minister Damian Green said, “These operations are among many being carried out across the country following the success of a major crackdown on immigration crime during the summer 2010, which generated a large number of arrests, cash seizures, prosecutions and intelligence which the UK Border Agency is using to disrupt more of the activities of people involved in facilitating immigration crime.”
To justify the sweeping action the British minister said, “Illegal immigration puts huge pressure on public finances 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.”
In addition, a man was stopped at Birmingham airport when he attempted to use a forged document to pose as a student in order to work in the UK, Green said, adding that he was returned to Bangladesh where he lost his appeal against removal.
Damian Green said, “I believe attracting talented students from abroad is vital to the UK, but we must clamp down on abuse and be more selective about who can come here and how long they can stay. Too many students arriving to study at below-degree level have been coming here with a view to living and working, rather than studying. We need to stop this abuse.”
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