27 January 2009

Seven illegal immigrants arrested in raid in northern England

British immigration officials raided three Indian restaurants and one Chinese take-away restaurant and arrested seven illegal immigrants, reports the Times of India.

The raid was the result of several tip-offs to the UK Border Agency, and resulted in officials checking the UK work permits of overseas workers in several restaurants in north England.

The owners of two hotels were fined £50,000 each for illegally employing people who do not have the right to work in the UK.

"We are working hard to pull the plug on the illegal jobs which lure illegal immigrants to come to the UK in the first place," said UKBA North East operations director Steve Lamb.

"Illegal working is unfair on honest employers who recruit staff with the right to work in the UK and who pay them a proper salary.  Employers who don't play by the rules face fines and could potentially end up in jail," he added.

Under the new rules for UK immigration, the UK Border Agency are now advertising on the internet the names of those businesses who have been caught and penalised for hiring illegal workers.

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The UK Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in UK visa and immigration services.