Illegal migrants’ accounts to be frozen

Banks handed list of names in effort to deny thousands of suspects access to money

THE GOVERNMENT is to give banks a secret list of illegal migrants suspected of hiding in the UK and will order them to close their accounts in an attempt to force them out of the country.

Writing in today’s Daily Telegraph, in her first newspaper article since being made immigration minister, Caroline Nokes says she will not “turn a blind eye” to people who abuse the system.

It is a significant extension of Theresa May’s plan to crack down on illegal immigration and make it difficult to build a life in the UK for people without a visa, who drive down wages and put pressure on public services.

The Home Office hopes to catch more than 6,000 illegal immigrants with British bank accounts in the first year of the new policy, an impact assessment stated.

People without a valid visa are banned from setting up accounts, renting property and working in this country, but many have slipped through the net. Today, Ms Nokes announces that around 70 million bank accounts will be checked – and those set up by people who should not be here will be closed or frozen.

If criminal activity is suspected money can be held and only returned once the person has left the country, in an attempt to encourage them to go.

Ms Nokes disclosed that a secret list of over-stayers and absconders or those who are liable for removal will be used to check immigration status. She refused to say how many names it contained. Some estimates have suggested there could be hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants living in the UK, although the Home Office has not published recent figures. The list will be managed by Cifas, an anti-fraud agency.

It follows a crackdown on illegal immigrants renting property as well as obtaining driving licences and working for taxi services such as Uber.

Ms Nokes writes that the banking crackdown “will prevent known illegal migrants from continuing to operate existing bank accounts”.

She says: “Those affected by these measures have had every opportunity to regularise their immigration status and have failed or not attempted to do so – we are not prepared to turn a blind eye to such actions.”

But the minister says law-abiding citizens will not be affected and adds that the Home Office has set up a phone line for people to call if they think their account may have been flagged in error. Not all accounts will be frozen, she says, but all will be closed if found to be in breach of the rules.

Ms Nokes writes: “Some sections of the community have expressed concerns about this – suggesting it will lead to innocent people having their accounts shut down.

“Let me be clear – that is not the case. Banking services for individuals, including those granted refugee status, and British citizens who satisfy commercial requirements for opening and operating an account will not be affected. They have no reason to fear these measures. The purpose is to make it difficult for illegal migrants… to enter or remain in the UK and to encourage them to return home.”

Britain is an open and welcoming country when it comes to attracting the brightest and best people from around the world. Actions taken by the Government in recent months are testament to this. Before Christmas, my predecessor wrote to business leaders with assurances that our first priority in negotiations over our future relationship with the EU is to guarantee the rights of the 3.4 million EU citizens living in the UK. The Home Office also announced the extension of our Tier 4 visa pilot scheme in order to make it easier for our world-class universities to attract the most talented students from around the world.

When it comes to those who are living and working in this country illegally, however, this Government is clear: we expect them to leave voluntarily and we’ve already brought in a number of measures to encourage this. These measures prevent illegal migrants from working in the UK, renting accommodation, obtaining driving licences and working as private hire vehicle and taxi drivers and operators.

This is for the benefit of the whole of society as illegal migration drives down wages, allows rogue employers to undercut legitimate businesses and puts pressure on taxpayer-funded public services. Vulnerable people living here illegally can also find themselves at the mercy of exploitative employers or landlords.

This month, we are rolling out a key measure, agreed by Parliament as part of the Immigration Act 2016, to make it harder than ever before for illegal immigrants to live and work in the UK, and to encourage them to leave voluntarily. Building on existing powers to stop illegal migrants opening new current accounts, banks and building societies now have a responsibility to carry out regular immigration checks on all existing personal current account holders. This will prevent known illegal migrants from continuing to operate existing accounts. Those affected by these measures have had every opportunity to regularise their immigration status and have failed or not attempted to do so. We are not prepared to turn a blind eye to such actions.

These checks will be done against the details of known illegal migrants, which the Home Office shares with Cifas, the anti-fraud organisation. A current account will be reported to the Home Office only if there is a clear data match showing an account holder’s details are identical to those of a known illegal migrant.

Once the bank or building society has found an account that is being operated by an illegal migrant, the Home Office will double-check and – where appropriate – instruct the bank or building society to close the account. In cases where criminality is suspected, we may apply to the courts for an order instructing the bank or building society to freeze the individual’s account.

The Home Office is only sharing details of illegal migrants who are liable for removal or deportation from the UK, or who have absconded from immigration control, and whom we consider should be denied access to banking services. Those with READ MORE at telegraph.co.uk/ opinion outstanding appeals and applications, including asylum seekers, will be unaffected.

Some have expressed concerns about this – suggesting it will lead to innocent people having their accounts shut down. Let me be clear – that is not the case. Banking services for individuals, including those granted refugee status, and British citizens who satisfy commercial requirements for opening and operating an account will not be affected. They have no reason to fear these measures.

If, despite all the checks, an individual believes they are lawfully present in the UK and their account has been incorrectly closed, a dedicated Home Office telephone line will be available for them to report this. We are able to make changes to the database in real time, ensuring errors are corrected quickly, and banks and building societies are able to consider corrective action.

The purpose of these provisions is to make it difficult for illegal migrants, who do not have immigration leave to enter or remain in the UK, to live a settled life in the UK, and to encourage them to return home.