If This Is What Goes On Uk Immigration Offices

[spacebass]

The reality is emerging:

Last Updated: Tuesday, 14 March 2006, 10:51 GMT From BBC WEbNews

'Sex for visas' claims rejected

The immigration worker alleged slack security

Immigration staff were engaged in "unprofessional behaviour" towards applicants, a Home Office inquiry says.

But it found there was no evidence of the "sex for visas" scam alleged by a whistleblower earlier this year.

The investigation was prompted by allegations made to the Sun by an ex-employee at Lunar House immigration centre in Croydon, south London.

The inquiry criticised behaviour such as making contact outside the office and making fun of passport photographs.

No 'corruption racket'

The Sun had reported claims by Anthony Pamnani, an ex-administration officer, that women were helped to stay in the UK in return for sex.

He also alleged security checks were lax, making it easier for potential terrorists to sneak into the country.

I have not found any evidence that female applicants were receiving more favourable or unfair treatment for any reason

Tim Gbedemah

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

A top official in the Home Office's Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) conducted the inquiry into the allegations against his organisation.

Tim Gbedemah, the IND's non-executive director, said: "I have found no evidence to support the Sun's central allegation that there was a corruption 'racket' in the Public Enquiry Office (PEO) involving 'sex for visas'.

"I have not found any evidence that female applicants were receiving more favourable or unfair treatment for any reason.

"I have, however, concluded that a few PEO staff were engaged in unprofessional behaviour towards applicants, including bypassing the queue, making contact outside the office, and inappropriately displaying and making fun of passport photographs.

"The lapses of behaviour and shortcomings in process and supervision that the inquiry has identified are serious."

'Lazy' colleagues

The inquiry follows allegations made by the 23-year-old whistleblower. He said he left his job in disgust at staff behaviour, which included pinning up passport pictures of women considered "ugly".

"One girl came in and told us an admin officer had visited her flat and they had slept together. She got indefinite leave to stay," Mr Pamnani told the Sun.

He also claimed attractive applicants were seen first and that Brazilian women were given longer stays in the country than their boyfriends for no reason.

He said staff were too lazy to check passports for criminal convictions, but the final straw had come when colleagues were given instructions to let in more eastern Europeans at the expense of south Asians.

Mr Gbedemah's report says: "I have recommended that an investigation continues into one specific allegation against a single member of staff about whom, it was alleged to the inquiry, an applicant made claims involving sex two or three years ago.

"I shall submit a supplementary report when this is complete. It is also likely that at least a few staff were not carrying out all their Warnings Index checks.

"It is clear that the WI system log-on rules were frequently not followed, but I have no reason to believe this led to wider security risks."

'Credible witness'

He said Mr Pamnani had admitted he had not told the management about the corruption alleged by the Sun, adding: "I do not doubt that had he done so, management would have taken such a complaint or allegation very seriously.

"I have found Anthony Pamnani himself to be a generally credible witness, especially regarding those allegations where he admitted involvement himself."

Mr Gbedemah made 23 recommendations, which included asking senior management at IND to consider whether disciplinary action or further investigation should take place into the allegations that there was "excessive or unusual bypassing of the queuing process and contact with customers".

The public inquiry office at Croydon has 140 staff and processes 120,000 cases a year.

Immigration Minister Tony McNulty has stated that if immigration officials were found to have operated the scam, they could face criminal charges in addition to disciplinary action.

This just encapsulates exactly what I suspect goes on in all the UK Immigration offices, more so in Embassies and Consulates being offshore...... 'pinning the pictures of ugly applicants up on the wall' hope your ladies not ugly! Guys this is what your application fee buys!!!!

Minister resigns for giving favourable treatment to hurry along his maids application, now this, a thoroughly discredited UK immigration system staffed by schoolboys.

Edited March 14, 2006 by spacebass

[the scouser]

I am seeking neither to defend nor crticise, but surely your accusations are ill-founded.

The enquiry has established that "a few" members of staff at Croydon were engaged in unprofessional behaviour. Nowhere does it state that these practices are as widespread as you state. Indeed, no evidence was found corroborating the central allegation of sex for visas.

Of course, you may go on clutching at straws, trying to find "proof" with which to substantiate your prejudices.

Scouse.

[GU22]

Although the investigation found evidence of unprofessional behaviour among some IND staff (which is, of course, totally unacceptable); the allegations of corruption were found to be totally unfounded.

So, other than yet another attempt to put people off from even applying for a visa, what is your point?

[vinny]

I rather liked Scouse's earlier comments on this topic.

14 years as an immigration officer and not one offer!

Scouse.

Also:

This just sounds unbelievable.........

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Bearing in mind my obvious BradPitt-like good looks and charm, I find it astounding!

Scouse.

[the scouser]

Spacebass,

If you wish to edit your posts, thereby changing the meaning, once someone has subsequently posted, I reserve the right to delete the relevant posts.

Scouse.

Posts deleted.

[the scouser]

I rather liked Scouse's earlier comments on this topic.

14 years as an immigration officer and not one offer!

Scouse.

Also:

This just sounds unbelievable.........

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Bearing in mind my obvious BradPitt-like good looks and charm, I find it astounding!

Scouse.

I might have lied a tad about the Brad Pitt-like good looks.

Scouse.

[Rj 81]

Well lets just hope it serves as a warning to any staff thinking about doing there jobs in that mannar.

Although the sex for visa claims were found to be unsubstantial, it doesn't disguise the fact that there was a problem at that particular place.

Lets hope it was a one off

Edited March 15, 2006 by Rj 81

[vinny]

See the report on the investigation into allegations about the Public Enquiry Office in Croydon from the Home Office

Edited March 19, 2006 by vinny

[tyler2uk]

Why dont i think the whole story has come out here....

Turns out the investigation wont be reported in full and the person doing the inquiry works there..

Very suspicious....source

He also said a top official of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) will stage the inquiry into his own organisation.

Good idea..

Corruption all around the world.

I had a suspicion the report would come out this way

Edited March 19, 2006 by tyler2uk

[gburns57au]

Someone recently quoted that this was also endemic with the Oz and US departments... again this was totally unfounded scare mongering.

[GU22]

url=http://www.24dash.com/content/news/viewNews.php?navID=7&newsID=2223]source[/url]

Er, this source is dated 9th January! That is, over 2 months before the report was published.

the person doing the inquiry works there..

The person conducting the inquiry, Tim Gbedemah, is a senior official in the IND; he does not work at Lunar House.

Reading through the inquiry's findings shows that Pamnani's only proof of his "sex for visas" claim is a vague recollection of a female applicant asking for a particular male caseworker! Also, he admits to dating female applicants himself and participating in the juvenile scoring of female applicants photos out of 10.

So for him to say that "he quit after four years in disgust at the behaviour, which he claimed also included mocking any "ugly" applicants." is rather strange. Maybe he had some sort of Pauline conversion, or more likely, IMO, a large cheque from Murdoch's Sun prompted his remarks!

This does not, of course, excuse any unprofessional behaviour by staff at Lunar House. Hopefully Mr. Gbedemah's recommendations will eliminate this.

[the scouser]

Also, in terms of the Croydon and the South East of the UK in general, if you pay peanuts you get monkeys. An AO in Croydon is probably on about 18000 GBP p.a. Any 23 y.o. worth his salt wouldn't even be working for IND in that neck of the woods (for heaven's sake a national of one of the accession EU countries wouldn't work for that little).

In addition, the link posted by Tyler describes the claimed events as being a "sordid scam", and that was before any enquiry had taken place! So much for objectivity.

Scouse.