LONDON: Two Indian-origin people were caught in a sting operation in the UK illegally selling British visas for thousands of pounds and even offering them to migrants without any work requirement.The Daily Mail said its undercover investigation revealed that an Indian-origin student in the UK was selling work visas on Facebook Marketplace using fake documents through her company, a consultancy.In a video recorded by a Mail undercover reporter posing as an Indian film studies graduate, the woman said she could sell him a skilled worker visa for upwards of £12,000 and that he had two options: “with a job and without a job. “If you choose the job, it will cost £17,000, £18,000 or £19,000,” she said. “Without a job” meant that the employer “just has to do payroll.” She explained that he would receive his salary after the employer paid taxes to the British government 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 organize a Global Talent visa for a fee of £32,000. These visas are intended for people with exceptional talent and can lead to permanent residency after three years. She said a company would “create certificates for all your talents and create letters of experience for you.”The Mail also revealed how another PIO and his business partner offered a “free” skilled worker visa for three or five years to anyone who “invested” £25,000 in their fast food outlets. They told the Mail’s undercover reporter that work was not required and also advertised on Facebook Marketplace.“We do not allow fraudulent activities on our platforms and have removed the content brought to our attention and taken action against the accounts for violating our policies,” a Meta spokesperson told TOI.When contacted via email, the PIO and his partner denied any wrongdoing.A Home Ministry spokesperson told TOI: “The government will do whatever is necessary to secure our borders and curb the level of migration. We are investigating this illegal activity and it will not be tolerated. We will stop at nothing to ensure that our immigration rules are respected and enforced and if anyone is caught flouting the rules, they can expect the full force of the law to be brought to bear.”
