PIOs illegally selling British work visas exposed in sting operation

LONDON: Two Indian-origin people have been caught in a sting operation in the UK selling British visas illegally for thousands of pounds and even offering them to migrants without any requirement to work.The Daily Mail said its undercover investigation found an Indian-origin female student in Britain selling work visas on Facebook Marketplace using forged documents via her company, a consultancy.In a video, taken by a Mail undercover reporter posing as an Indian film studies graduate, the woman said she can sell him a skilled worker visa for £12,000 upwards and he had two options, “with job and without job. “If you go with the job, then it will cost £17,000, £18,000, £19,000,” she said. “Without job” meant the employer “has to run the payroll only”. She explained he would get paid, after taxes were paid by the employer to the UK govt, and then he would have to pay the salary back in cash but would not have to work. She said she took a £1,000 cut.She also offered to arrange a Global Talent visa for a fee of £32,000. These visas are meant for those with exceptional talent and can lead to indefinite leave to remain after three years. She said a company would “create certificates for all your talents and create experience letters for you”.The Mail also exposed how another PIO and his business partner were offering a “free” skilled worker visa for three or five years to anyone who “invests” £25,000 in their high-street fast-food outlets. They told the Mail undercover reporter that working was not required and also advertised on Facebook Marketplace.“We don’t allow fraudulent activity on our platforms and have removed the content brought to our attention and taken action on the accounts for violating our policies,” a Meta spokesperson told TOI.When contacted by the Mail, the PIO and his partner denied any wrongdoing.A Home Office spokesperson told TOI: “The govt will do whatever it takes to secure our borders and cut the levels of migration. We are investigating this illegal activity and it will not be tolerated. We will stop at nothing to ensure our immigration rules are respected and enforced and if anyone is found flouting the rules they can expect the full force of the law to be used.”