Immigration Adviser Held Over Visa Fraud

Three people have been arrested on suspicion of immigration fraud following a Sky News investigation into sham marriages.

UK Border Agency police visited an address

 in Wembley and detained a Home Office licensed immigration adviser and his wife, while a third person was detained at a separate address.

Jayesh Patel was first arrested in May 2010 after a Sky report revealed he had offered to sell a groom for £12,500 to an undercover reporter who wanted to avoid immigration controls.

Information found on Patel's computer suggested he was involved in Tier 1 visa fraud by topping-up applicants' legitimate earnings with bogus salaries.

Tier 1 visas were designed to attract highly-skilled workers from outside the European Union, such as doctors or scientists, who could contribute most to the UK economy.

Migrants coming to the UK under this scheme did not even need a job offer before leaving their country of origin.

Patel offered to sell a groom to an undercover reporter

But applicants did need to score 75 points under the Tier 1 system. Points were awarded for criteria including the ability to speak English and proof of earnings.

But low-skilled applicants intent on defrauding the system sometimes used bogus employment histories and payslips issued through fake companies set up by corrupt solicitors and immigration advisers.

The Tier 1 scheme did not deliver as the Government hoped; only a third of successful Tier 1 applicants went on to obtain highly-skilled work and in April 2011 the Tier 1 visa route was closed.

Monday's arrests are the latest attempts by the Home Office to apprehend immigration fraud.

Immigration Minister Damian Green told Sky News: "We've been concentrating hard on the big facilitators, the international criminals who organise this traffic.

"Today's arrests show the UK Border Agency will investigate allegations of immigration fraud and take decisive action to apprehend suspects involved in abuse of the system."

Patel was arrested as part of ongoing investigations into immigration fraud

Detective Inspector Robert Coxhead, who leads the West London immigration crime team, told Sky News: "My team have been dealing with a number of these cases in the last year and these offences are viewed very seriously by the courts.

"Hopefully the success we've had will send a clear message to anyone involved in this type of fraud."

:: UK Border Agency police have run several operations in London against similar attempts at immigration fraud:

Operation Gilberton 2010: Indian suspect convicted and sentenced to eight years in prison. A further eight beneficiaries were convicted and £271,000 of assets were seized.

Operation Coffeeville 2010: Two Indian immigration advisers were arrested and £332,000 cash was seized. Both subjects had obtained duplicate passports and fled to India. Nine further co-conspirators were arrested and four beneficiaries charged.

Operation Inkspell 2011: Indian immigration adviser convicted and sentenced to four and a half years. Thirteen others were arrested, most of whom have pleaded guilty. Assets worth approximately £900,000 confiscated.