UK Edition
Hundreds of illegal migrants who used sham marriages to stay in the UK have not been prosecuted and remain in the country, it has emerged.
Official figures show that 365 couples have tried to fraudulently exploit the post-Brexit scheme giving EU citizens and their spouses the right to remain in the UK.
But none of those involved in the sham marriages have been removed in the past two years, and none have been prosecuted for four years.
The Home Office maintained that it would not hesitate to take enforcement action against anyone caught in a sham marriage but admitted there had been fewer investigations during the Covid pandemic.
Albanians have emerged as the nationality most likely to exploit the EU settlement scheme which was set up for EU citizens, their spouses and family members to continue to live in the UK after Brexit.
They had to be resident by December 2020 and apply for permission to stay. Spouses from any country were eligible to apply.
‘These networks know how to cheat the system’
A BBC investigation found that couples have tried to fraudulently exploit the scheme by entering into a sham marriage, with the EU national extending their residency rights to their non-EU bogus partner.
The scams were often set up by organised crime gangs who paid individuals cash to participate. Some 146 Albanians were involved, more than a third of the total 365 sham marriages between March 2018 and September last year.
The last criminal prosecutions were in 2018, when nine people were convicted and four removed. Since 2020, no-one has had their leave to remain revoked, according to Home Office data. Nationals from a total of 60 countries were implicated.
Dr Ervin Muco, in Albania, told BBC News people paid criminal gangs for what they saw as a ticket to a new life, adding: “These networks know how to cheat the system, and they are making money from people who are prepared to pay.
“In recent years, most Albanian men who have left this country have gone to Italy or Greece, but some of them haven’t been able to get citizenship in these countries, so some do try to find women from European countries they can marry.
“They can have all the benefits of being a European citizen and, because Britain was an EU member, many Albanians have been attracted to the UK.”
The Home Office said “As the public rightly expects, we take abuse of the spouse and partner immigration routes very seriously, and to suggest otherwise is wrong."
“We will not hesitate to take enforcement action against individuals found to be in a sham marriage or civil partnership, including cancelling their leave and removing them from the UK.”