Woman one of six jailed for part in fake spouse visa scam
A BIRMINGHAM woman was among six people jailed over a fake spouse visa scam.
Shamaila Musarat, of Farcroft Grove, Handsworth, was among the six who abused the spouse visa route to bring people into the UK illegally.
They were jailed for a total of more than 11 years on Friday.
Musarat was a key member of the crime group, and was arrested in March 2018 after a two-year investigation by Immigration Enforcement’s Criminal and Financial Investigation (CFI) team.
Sheffield Crown Court heard how ringleader Maboob Ahmed provided a commercial service for the falsification of earnings and the production of documents to fraudulently demonstrate that sponsors met the required income threshold.
Ahmed, of Maidstone Street, Bradford, provided a legitimate service to individuals and small companies, helping them with their tax submissions. But he abused his access to add sponsors to company payrolls without their knowledge, creating fake payslips and contracts to give the impression they were earning the necessary £18,600.
Operating out of an office in Main Road, Darnall, Sheffield, Ahmed issued cheques from his company account to sponsors’ bank accounts to make them appear well-paid employees. The money was later paid back to Ahmed and the cycle repeated until evidence was created to show visa conditions were met.
The sponsors, all British citizens, paid up to £2,500 each for the illegal service. On each occasion they used the documentation to applications for their spouses.
To ensure families can support themselves financially, the UK’s sponsor Pakistani immigration rules require those looking to sponsor a spouse or partner to submit evidence including bank statements and payslips demonstrating that they meet a minimum income requirement of £18,600.
The fraud was identified by UK Visas and Immigration officials when they spotted a link between two suspicious spouse visa applications sponsored by Ibrar Azeem, of Hamilton Road, Sheffield, and Fasner Khan, of Hinde House Lane, Sheffield. The matter was referred to CFI for further investigation.
Inquiries led them to two more sponsors – Bibi Safiya Mohibullah, of Limpsfield Road, Sheffield, and Musarat. Another individual, Mohammed Khalil Khan, of Hinde House Lane, Sheffield, funded some of payments Khan.
The suspects were arrested during a series of operations in March 2018. Following a trial, Ahmed, Fasner Khan, Mohammed Khalil Khan and Azeem were found guilty at Sheffield Crown Court on July 25. Mohibullah and Musarat had pleaded guilty at earlier hearings.
All six were sentenced together at the same court on Friday.
Deputy director Dave Magrath, from Immigration Enforcement CFI said: “By bringing Ahmed and his accomplices to justice we have stopped a concerted and systematic assault on the UK’s immigration system. We will not hesitate to prosecute anyone involved in this type of criminality.” the fraudulent sponsor to his sister-in-law Fasner