A visa applicant was arrested recently for using false documents while applying for a visa to fly to the United Kingdom.
The applicant had presented false documents with regard to his financial circumstances, an official press release said. Preliminary investigations have revealed that he had paid an agent Rs. 2 lakh in order to obtain these documents.
The application was rejected and the applicant was referred by UK visa and immigration officials to the city police. The applicant was put under a 10-year ban on travel to the UK and also faces prosecution.
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Thomas Greig, regional director (Central Asia, South Asia and Turkey), UK Visas & Immigration said: “We welcome genuine visitors, students and workers to the UK. We will, however, not tolerate abuse of the UK visa system and we have a zero tolerance of fraud. I strongly advise anyone who wants a visa for the UK not to listen to agents who offer to sell forged documents or say that they can guarantee a visa.”
He added that there was a very effective process to detect fraud. “We work with our international partners and Indian authorities to do so. When we uncover fraud, including false bank statements or education and language certificates, we will refuse the visa and the applicant will face a ten-year ban on travelling to the UK, as well as possible action by the Indian authorities. We also report agents involved in fraud to the police,” he said.