Bogus College Organisers Jailed

The four set up a bogus college in order to provide fake documents and certificates to foreign nationals who would then submit UK visa applications. The group charged thousands of pounds in fees for the sham courses and via there corrupt legal services firm they would help to prepare immigration applications supported by the phony documents.

The gang now face deportation from the country once their sentences have been served.

Sentencing

Junjie Kao & Wie Xing, both 30 year old Chinese Nationals:

• Pleaded guilty to:
  • Conspiracy to Assist Unlawful Immigration and were sentenced to seven years imprisonment, AND
  • Money Laundering and were sentenced to a further four years each (£2.65 million in cash was discovered under their beds in Rotherhithe in South East London

Khaled Mahmud, a 35 year old Bangladeshi National:

• Pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Assist Unlawful Immigration and was sentenced to seven years imprisonment

Tareq Mahmud, a 35 year olf Bangladeshi National:

• Sentenced to four years imprisonment

UK Border Agency Comments

In response to the convictions the UK Border Agency’s regional director Tony Smith said ‘The tough sentences handed down today demonstrate our determination to tackle those who commit organised immigration crime and bring the perpetrators to justice. Those behind this conspiracy showed total disregard for the law, and their motives were purely financial. We will continue to work shoulder-to-shoulder with the police and other enforcement partners to identify criminal activity and stamp out any abuses of the system.’

Detective Superintendent Chris Foster, head of the UK Border Agency’s London & South East Regional Immigration Crime Teams added ‘The UK Border Agency, working with the Metropolitan Police, will continue to work in partnership to identify, dismantle and disrupt criminal networks who are involved in or benefiting from immigration crime. This was an extremely complex 18 month investigation that involved many thousands of pages of documentary evidence seized from a bogus college and a corrupt law firm. The amount of cash seized from underneath the bed of the defendants only highlights the attraction that immigration crime has for criminal gangs. A financial asset-stripping investigation is ongoing.\’

Tier 4 Register of Sponsors

If you are a foreign national and you would like to work or study in the UK under Tier 2 or Tier 4 Students you should conduct adequate checks on the sponsor to ensure they are legitimate and they hold a Sponsorship License under the UK Border Agency’s Points Based System (PBS). If they do not hold a license they will be unable to help you apply for a Tier 2 or Tier 4 visa. To view the current list of UK Border Agency licensed sponsors please click here.

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