Sixteen Indian nationals caught working illegally in UK

Sixteen Indian nationals working illegally have been caught by UK Border Agency officers during enforcement operations in the month of July.

The men were arrested at two factories, a restaurant and shop in the West Midlands and two restaurants in Lanarkshire, Scotland. Action is now being taken to return all the illegal workers to India.

A UK Border Agency spokesperson said:

“We are cracking down on companies that employ illegal workers and fail to carry out proper checks on passports and other identity documents. Any business that takes on a foreign national without permission to work is breaking the law and faces a heavy fine and possible prosecution.”

A fine of up to £10,000 will be imposed on 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.

Separately, the UK Border Agency has been working with local Sikh community leaders and Gurudwaras in the West Midlands to provide advice to migrants, some of whom are destitute, and wish to return to India. The monthly advice centres are being held at the Gurudwaras in Smethwick; Sedgley Street, Wolverhampton; High Street, West Bromwich; Soho Road, Handsworth, Birmingham and Foleshill Road, Coventry.

Further information

1. Employers can find guidance on how to employ workers legally at the UK Border Agency’s Employers Helpline on 0044 (0) 300 123 4699.
2. Anyone who suspects that illegal workers are being employed at a business or has information about other immigration crime can contact Crimestoppers on 0044 (0) 800 555 111 where anonymity can be guaranteed.
3. Arrests are carried out by trained immigration officers. They conduct operations at businesses and private addresses, acting on intelligence received from the public and other sources. All intelligence is protected.
4. Indian nationals working illegally have been apprehended regularly in UK Border Agency enforcement operations on restaurants, catering facilities, factories, and construction sites, and returned to India.