Channel crossings scheme costs ‘could top £9bn in three years’
GuardianNov 26, 2022
Report: UK Visa Scammers Offer Men £10K To Pose As Fathers
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Image copyright: Alamy [via The Guardian]
The Facts
A BBC Newsnight investigation has revealed that multiple British men have taken payments of thousands of pounds to add their names to birth certificates of migrant women's babies, helping the child to get UK citizenship and the mother a residency route.
This comes as an undercover researcher, posing as a pregnant woman who was living in the UK illegally, spoke to agents and claimed the process was "very easy" and that the passport would "definitely be granted," with British men receiving up to £11K ($13.7).
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
This is just the latest way that economic migrants and people traffickers have found ways to skip the line for regular migration, as Conservative governments have successively failed to curb illegal immigration for more than a decade. Britain must restore control over its borders and scrutinize allegations made by those applying for family visas and claiming asylum.
Pro-establishment narrative
While this report is concerning, authorities have been working to curb a range of very sophisticated immigration scams. It is outrageous that fraudsters would take advantage of a rule enshrined in law to protect children, and officials are prepared to fully investigate these claims.
