Keralite students’ house in Liverpool visited by immigration officers and questioned about study and work

By A Staff Reporter

LIVERPOOL Feb 24: A joint visit between Police, immigrtion officers and the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) was carried out in the early morning hours of Monday this week in a house in Liverpool which had only Malayalee students.

Four officers, as part of immigration enforcement visits, arrived at their home in a very cordial manner and politely took all the four residents apart and questioned them in detail.

One of the student, who was question by the enforcement officers, spoke to this website. He is not sure what actions the enforcement officers would take as they have taken off a lot of information to be verified.

The four students, who lived in the same house, were questioned for more than an hour and were asked to provide the officers with all details since their arrival in the UK.

The enforcement officers had a Questionnaire which had questions such as when they arrived, what immigration status they hold, what works they did while in the UK, did they have any issues at work, have they been forced to work, have they been affected by poverty, have they been forced to pay any agency fees, what bank accounts they hold, which properties they stayed before and much more.

“The list of questions is extensive and we are not sure how they are going to interpret all this when they verify it all”, the concerned student told this website.

Following the questioning the officers left the premises stating that they will get back to them if there were any inconsistencies found in the statement they have given.

The officers also took pictures of the students’ documents.

The Home Office has ramped up immigration enforcement activity from last month since the prime minister’s pledge to boost raids on illegal working.

In December, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced plans to tackle illegal working and immigration, including by hiring 200 new Immigration Enforcement staff and restarting data sharing with banks to ensure those here illegally do not have access to bank accounts.

The increase in enforcement comes as the Home Office establishes the UK’s first cross-government ministerial taskforce on immigration enforcement, which will ensure every available power across government is utilised to support law enforcement activity to identify and reduce illegal migrants in the UK, and ensure only those eligible can work, receive benefits or access public services.

It will examine how to protect access to rented accommodation, bank accounts, healthcare, education, driving licences and public funds to only those eligible. The new enforcement taskforce, chaired by the Immigration Minister, will focus in its first meeting on illegal working and how enforcement activity can be maximised, including the rapidly growing gig economy.

In November 2022, we reported about immigration officers and police arriving with search warrants looking for three Keralite students in London.

The enforcement letter which the student shared with us then stated, “Warrant to enter and search premises. This warrant is issued under Paragraph 17 (2), Schedule 2 of the Immigration Act 1971. This warrant authorises the person or persons indentified beneath to enter the specified premises on 1st Nov. Premises authorised to be searched (address). The persons authorised to execute the warrant were Immigration officer from the Home Office Immigration Enforcement team and Police”.

The search warrant doesnt specify the nature of the offence the students may have committed. However, it is learnt that the officers are carrying a thorough check on all aspects of the immigration law and thereby if the student is found to have broken any law following their verification with the Home Office records then there is likely going to be follow up actions.