Open season for illegal immigration in Britain

Kamal thought that Britain would enforce its laws. A legal immigrant, he reported an illegal immigrant who had paid an agent in India to get a student visa allowing her to enter the country. Instead of studying, she worked full-time at the Body Shop and WH Smith in London.

Kamal wrote to the Immigration Service, the Home Office and Beverley Hughes, the Immigration Minister, but was stunned by the response. “No one was interested. They didn’t care. I just thought the law should be enforced to protect legal workers who are losing their jobs,” he said.

This week the Government admitted that illegal immigration was out of control, with several hundred thousand of illegal immigrants in Britain. According to immigration officers and lawyers, illegal immigration is not so much out of control, as not subject to any control. . .

The Government does not keep any record of who is in the country. Nine out of ten people arriving at Heathrow are given a visitor’s visa which is not logged. Landing cards are counted for statistical reasons. Those on student or work permit visas are logged in, but there is no mechanism telling the Government that they have overstayed. There are no exit passport controls, so the Government has no idea who has left and who has not, and cannot even catch overstayers when they leave.

Posted by David on July 26, 2003 4:50 PM