UK moves against rogue immigration lawyers
Immigration lawyers who devise means to cheat the system will face prosecution and have their cash confiscated, the British government announced on Wednesday.
New powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act will be extended to the Immigration Advice Authority, enabling the regulator to seize the criminal profits of unscrupulous advisers.
A statement by the Home Office said that such proceeds would be reinvested into frontline policing and border security, using dirty money to shut down the networks it once funded.
Part of the seizures would be channeled to the Multi Agency Cash Cell at the border, established to disrupt illicit finance, including money laundering and criminal activity such as illegal immigration advice.
The Immigration Advice Authority will henceforth be able to track and freeze assets, retrieve illegal earnings and bring offenders to justice, without relying on police support.
Citing examples, the Home Office revealed how different individuals illegally posing as immigration lawyers and advisers have made hundreds of thousands of pounds out of their so-called services.
“One bogus adviser raked in over half a million pounds by preying on desperate people,” the statement reads, while three others pocketed over £3 million by targeting victims online and offering advice on visa applications and how to challenge deportations.
Speaking on the new powers, Security Minister Dan Jarvis declared that rogue immigration advisers exploiting the United Kingdom system “will pay the price.”
“By backing the Immigration Advice Authority with tough new powers, we’re stripping criminals of their dirty money and using it to strengthen our borders and keep our streets safe,” the official noted.
The latest development adds to the powers given to the IAA under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which will see people posing as immigration lawyers facing fines of up to £15,000.