11 Indians among immigrants held in the UK without a valid visa

United Kingdom, 21st May: The UK has arrested 11 Indian nationals and one Pakistani national found to be staying in the UK unlawfully.

As per the reports, these included Indians who had either sneaked into the UK through unlawful means or had overstayed their UK visas.

UKBA arrests 11 Indians among 12 undocumented immigrants--The arrest was the result of a checkup operation by the UK Border Agency (UKBA) near Grantham, Lincolnshire.

All the arrested immigrants including Indians and one Pakistani national were caught unawares as the UKBA officials stopped two overcrowded vans in the wee hours of 17th May on A52 near Grantham.

The action by the UKBA was the result of the tip-off by HM Revenue and Customs, the GLA (Gangmasters Licensing Authority) and Lincolnshire Police.

The UKBA officials used fingerprint scanners to verify the identities of the immigrants after checking their immigration status. There were a total of 24 persons in two vans.

Out of the arrested, a Pakistani national was found to be living in the UK unlawfully while 11 Indians had either entered the UK through unlawful ways or had been living in the UK despite of expiry of their UK visas.

The UKBA officials took all the arrested immigrants to Grantham Police Station for seeking further details.

Immigrants in overcrowded vans-safety at risk--It is being suspected that the persons in both the overcrowded vans were heading towards a farm in Lincolnshire to work there although they did not have any legal right to work in the UK.

As per the sources, the overcrowding of two vans carrying 24 persons near Grantham was a breach of licensing rules since it put into risk the safety of the passengers traveling inside.

Immigrants’ arrest- a lesson for undocumented immigrants--The recent arrest of immigrants staying in the UK without a valid visa is a lesson to anyone living in the UK unlawfully, said an official from Lincolnshire local immigration team, Rachel Challis.

The latest crackdown by UKBA is a part of the steps taken by UK immigration authorities to control immigration abuse across the UK, she maintained.

And any businesses hiring undocumented immigrants will be liable to face possibility of prosecution along with heavy penalties, she affirmed.