What Does the Law Have to Say About Immigration Fraud?

Considering the frequency with which the government in the United Kingdom identifies and puts a stop to fraudulent immigration, they’re really stringent about regulation. Immigration fraud is a grave charge that brings severe punishments for any violators—from deportation and up to 14 years in jail. In the past couple of years, a lot of people have been falsely accused by the government for illegal immigration—the latest instance being the cancellation of 36,000 visas and 1000 deportation in 2019.

While you can’t say anything against the stringent rulings of the government, you can’t really excuse the instances of false accusations either. The best way to escape charges is to make sure that you follow all the rules when immigrating to the UK.

How Can You Immigrate to the UK?

There are multiple ways that you can become a citizen of the United Kingdom, the most common of which is through naturalization and a slightly problematic via-marriage process. Let’s discuss the conditions under which people can become UK citizens through naturalization and then move on to citizenship by marriage and the problems with the approach.

To become eligible for citizenship by naturalization, you must meet the following requirements:

• You must be at least 18 years of age.
• Must have lived in the UK for at least 5 years prior to application without spending. more than 450 days outside the region in the duration.
• Not spent more than 90 days outside the UK prior to application.
• No serious criminal record during the 5 years prior to application.
• You must prove competency in the English language.

You should consult with an immigration advisor to make sure that you meet all the criteria and if your unique circumstances require to meet further conditions.

Citizenship Through Marriage

This process of acquiring citizenship has come under a lot of fire in the past few years because of the number of people getting into sham marriages to get citizenship. The requirements for getting citizenship through marriage are:

• You must prove that you are married to a British citizen.
• You must be 18 years of age and be of sound mind/character.
• You must meet the British residency requirements.
• Prove your proficiency in the English language.
• You must have lived in the UK for at least 3 years prior to application without spending more than 270 days outside the UK.
• Must not have spent more than 90 days outside of the UK in the 12 months before your application.

When Are People Arrested for Immigration Fraud

There are a lot of reasons that people are suspected of immigration fraud, the most common of which are sham marriages and overstaying without allowance for a period beyond their visa. You could also be charged with fraud if you lied on your immigration application or failed to the appropriate information.

In Trouble for Immigration Fraud?

You should get in touch with the people over at Wembley Solicitors. We offer a wide range of legal services including family law solicitation, immigration law consultancy and criminal law defense. Call us today for more information.