Five months in prison for immigration offences

A Southall man who used a false passport and tried to enter into a sham marriage has been jailed, following an investigation by Home Office Immigration Enforcement officers.

Indian national Yogesh Kumar, aged 30, of Lady Margaret Road, was arrested for over-staying his visa moments before he was due to marry a 22-year-old Hungarian woman at Brent Register office on 4 March.

Immigration officers found that his passport contained a counterfeit visa stamp which made it look like he had the right to live and work in the UK.

It is thought he had used the passport to gain employment as a cleaner.

Kumar’s Hungarian bride was questioned by immigration officers and released, but her groom was later charged with possessing a false identity document.

At a hearing at Isleworth Crown Court on Thursday 13 June he pleaded guilty and a judge sentenced him to five months in prison.

Assistant Director Sarah Burton, from the Home Office West London Immigration Enforcement team, said:

“We are working closely with registrars across London to prevent abuse of the marriage system and where we have reason to believe a wedding may not be genuine we will, if necessary, intervene.

“Those who use false identity documents face prosecution and, as in this case, jail.

“We will seek to remove Kumar from the UK once he has served his sentence.”

A sham marriage or civil partnership typically occurs when a non-European national marries someone from the European Economic Area as a means of attempting to gain long-term residency and the right to work and claim benefits in the UK.

For more information and contact details for Home Office Immigration Enforcement teams in the South East visit: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/your-region/lse-ice/.

17th June 2013