Visit Visa/Asylum Scam: Second death in East Ham should be wake up call for Keralites in UK

Screenshots of news this website carried about illegal visit visa migrants in the last three years

By A Staff Reporter

LONDON May 10: It was only last month we (www.ukmalayalee.com) were able to stop three Keralites trying to come to the UK from Moovattupuzha on visit visa by paying agents Rs3 lakhs each.

Following our intervention we stopped those three coming on visit and were looking to switch to work visas. It is a known fact someone who is on visit visa cannot switch to any form of work visa. But there are Malayalees still in Kerala who are arriving on visit visas.

Now we have a story of a Malayalee woman from Thiruvananthapuram, who was on visit visa in East Ham died due to a sudden illness. The woman who died was in the UK with her husband on a six months visit visa.

Normally, someone on visit visa would have a sponsor who provided the Home Office with all assurances and guarantees to take care of them while they are here in the UK on visit visa. However, in this instance the sponsor hasnt come forward to take responsibility for the repatriation of the deceased. But where is the sponsor for this woman in the UK? What has he done to get the body repatriated. What compensation will he provide to the beareaving family? Will he at least payback half of the money he took from them for selling the Visit Visa?

On speaking to sources in East Ham it was revealed that the couple spent lakhs of rupees back home to obtain this Visit Visa.

It is alarming that there are Malayalees still out there in Kerala thinking that migrating to the UK to get to do cash-in-hand job or switch to work visa or seek asylum is easy. It also comes at a time when immigration rules have been tightened.

Like any other deaths the woman’s death is too taken under the humanitarian consideration by the Malayalee community without looking into what his visa status was.

The Indian High Commission in London and the NORKA organisation back in Kerala too have got involved without looking into any legality of the woman’s visa status and they are helping the body to be repatriated back to Kerala.

However, one question remains unanswered. Where is the sponsor for this Visit Visa issued to this woman? To those who dont know, when a Visit Visa is issued to anyone arriving in the UK there should be a sponsor who will accommodate the guest during his stay in the UK or the visitor should show proof that he has enough recourse to funds to support him while his stay in the United Kingdom. That is the Law that governs anyone who is on a Visit Visa in the UK.

The death of the woman should come as a wake up call to those thousands back in Kerala looking to come to the UK using illegal means.

The rent for properties are too high and majority businesses will not employ illegals due to the severe penalty they have to pay if caught. Immigration officers are constantly on the lookout and if caught will be deported immediately.

Most visa overstayers get paid around £3 per hour which is not enough for food or accommodation cost. The agents who bring people over often lie about living standards and how much money they can make by converting sterling pound into rupees.

Most people will not make the amount they paid their agents before getting caught and deported by immigration authorities.

UK immigration authorities will have your fingerprints and photograph (known as ‘biometric information’) taken at your appointment and therefore the authorities will have access to all you as an individual and it’s easy for them to track you down in case of an emergency.

The UKBA site provides information on how to come to the UK through proper means. Click to visit the website

This trend in illegal immigration within our community will also harm the new generation of migrants who are settled here. The UK will implement more stringent immigration rules and laws as a result of such unscrupulous actions.

This will make the life of immigrants here a hell without being able to bring in any of their relatives on visit visa of a genuine nature. Therefore, its time to put an end to such illegal practices which will put those coming to the UK and also those here at risk.

Reports say that there are numerous individuals in East Ham who are working in partnership with agents in Thiruvananthapuram to recruit Malayalees from Kerala to bring them on visit visa to the UK on the promise for them to either switch to work visa (which is not possible) or stay over illegally or seek asylum.

It was only last year this website worked with a major organisation in the UK to repatriate the body of another individual who was on visit visa who died immediately following cardiac arrest. It is apparent that whenever there is a crisis situation to these individuals who are here in the UK the actual sponsor who brought them here on visit visa disappeared from the scene.

This leaves the community in East Ham to deal with the crisis and have the body repatriated. Although the Indian High Commission is at help there are so much legwork that is required. However, forme xperience it is learnt that each death has a sad story of losses and debts back home. Majority of the times such victims cry for help and seek help for funds to settle debts back home.

However, it has come a time for the community in UK not being able to initiate collections as there is a boom in the community arrivals from Kerala and when most of the newly arrived are struggling financially. It is time to bring these fraud agents to face the law.

To make an anonymous complaint please email Complaints@homeoffice.gov.uk or iec@homeoffice.gov.uk