The Home Office recently revealed that over a third of immigration arrests, as a result of tip-offs from the public, resulted in deportation in 2013. Accusations from members of the public led to 4,535 arrests regarding immigration offences, 1,585 of these people were removed from Britain and 15 cases prompted criminal prosecutions. The figures were obtained by shadow immigration minister David Hanson, who described the figures as  “a shocking record and one that the government should be ashamed of”. As reported last week, a Hampshire restaurant was raided by Immigration officers, resulting in three arrests.
Home Office: Building a System That is Fair to British Citizens And Legitimate Migrants
Speaking on the current immigration system, a Home office spokesperson said:
“We are building a system that is fair to British citizens and legitimate migrants and tough on those who abuse the system and flout the law. We take all reports of illegal immigrants in the UK seriously, but not all the information we receive is accurate. When tip-offs do lead to arrests, there are many legal barriers that can prevent speedy deportation.”
Through the Immigration Bill currently before Parliament, the government is trying to remove these ‘barriers’, in order to make it easier to deport illegal migrants and foreign criminals. The Bill also cuts the number of grounds for appeal against deportation from 17 to 4, allowing foreign criminals to be deported before the outcome of their appeal is known. This is as long as they are not faced with  “serious irreversible harm” at home.
Hampshire Restaurant Facing Financial Penalty totaling £50,000 for Employing Illegal Workers
To demonstrate the above last week a Hampshire restaurant was raided by immigration officers and is now facing a potential financial penalty totaling £50,000 for employing illegal workers.
Three Bangladeshi men were arrested. Two, aged 22 and 32, were found to be working in breach of their visa conditions, while a 29-year-old had overstayed his visa. The three men were transferred to an immigration detention pending removal from UK.
The head of the South Central Home Office Immigration Enforcement team, Carla Johnson said:
“These arrests are a clear warning to those in Hampshire abusing our immigration laws. There will be no slowdown in our efforts to arrest, detain and remove you from the UK. Employers who use illegal Labor are defrauding the taxpayer, undercutting genuine employers and denying legitimate job hunters work. Employers who use illegal labour are defrauding the taxpayer, undercutting genuine employers and denying legitimate job hunters work.”
Legal Advice for Illegal Migrants in the UK
Illegal migrants with strong Human Rights arguments ought to take legal advice and regularise their stay in the UK as soon as possible and before it is too late. Please contact us to discuss your immigration situation and we will assess your case and provide you with options of regularising your stay.