Migration mayhem as agents sell fake jobs so people can stay in the UK illegally | UK | News
Shady Black market middlemen sell fake jobs with payslip documents showing migrants earning £55,000 a year, when there are no such roles. Breathtaking bogus jobs like this are being offered by slick visa agency firms in Britain in the hope of making money from the illegal immigration market.
Fake visa agencies offer migrants the chance of a sponsored stay in the UK by helping them pretend to have a job, complete with a fake CV, bank records and payslip documents. Illegal entrants are even trained on what their non-existent role entails, so they can boast their ways whenever anyone questions them.
According to a Undercover investigation by The TimesFake visa agents profit from stealth businesses by charging the illegal immigrant a monthly fee and paying up to £20,000 upfront. Once in their fake role, the migrant cannot work legally and if caught they could be deported or banned from entering the UK.
Meanwhile, the visa agency is still being paid. One unscrupulous operator told the Times: “We have no business… We just sell you CoS.” [certificate of sponsorship]. That’s it.”
One The newspaper’s investigation He found multiple agencies operating in the UK. The Times found one agent boasting that setting up fake jobs, which could include occupations such as office work, IT and marketing roles, as well as positions such as nursing assistants, bricklayers and graphic designers, was a “two-minute job”.
The Home Office told the newspaper it would do “whatever it takes” to secure the country’s borders, and that so-called skilled worker visa refusals and cancellations were at “record levels”, with 1,948 employers having their sponsor licenses revoked by June 2025. In response to the investigation’s findings, the ministry said: “We are investigating this illegal activity and it will not be tolerated.”
Chris Philp, the Conservative Party shadow home secretary, said the Times’ findings were “shocking” and showed the government had “no control” over immigration. He added: “Shabana Mahmood [the home secretary] This problem must be addressed urgently.”
Max Wilkinson, the Liberal Democrats’ home affairs spokesman, said: “Criminal gangs are profiting and the rules are clearly being ignored. The government urgently needs to fix the system.”
According to the Gov.uk website, to be licensed as an employer “you cannot have outstanding criminal convictions for immigration offenses or certain other offences, such as fraud or money laundering”.
Employers need “appropriate systems to monitor sponsored employees and those who will manage sponsorship within your business”, he said, adding: “UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) will review your application form and supporting documents. They may visit your business to make sure you are trustworthy and capable of carrying out your duties.”
