UK Visa Applicants Arrested for Fraud in Sri Lanka
A 42-year old Sri Lankan woman and her two adult daughters were arrested today.
The arrested applicants will have a 10 year ban on travel to the UK.
A 42-year old Sri Lankan woman and her two adult daughters who applied together for UK visas were arrested today for using deception in their applications by applying in multiple identities.
The applicants were referred by the UK Visas and Immigration to Fraud Investigations Bureau police in Colombo. The visa applicants had previously applied in 2005 using different names and dates of birth. The three visa applications have been refused and the arrested applicants will have a 10 year ban on travel to the UK. In addition they now face prosecution for their actions from Sri Lankan authorities.
UK Visas and Immigration Operations Manager, Tony Williams, said:
“We will not tolerate abuse of the UK’s Immigration rules. Where we see abuse, we will take action against those involved. I would strongly advise visa applicants not to submit false documents or any other forms of deception.”
The UK Visas and Immigration team uncovered this deception because officers conducted extensive checks on documents submitted with visa applications.