Immigration scam uses ‘fake lives’ in Ireland to create back door into UK

Britons are paying thousands as part of a multimillion-pound fraud is give non-EU family members a bridge into the UK via Ireland
Britons are paying thousands as part of a multimillion-pound fraud is give non-EU family members a bridge into the UK via Ireland
JEFF J MITCHELL/GETTY IMAGES

Thousands of Britons are setting up fake lives in Ireland to obtain residency in the UK for non-EU family members.

Police said that immigration advisers, lawyers and accountants were behind the multimillion-pound fraud in which people paid up to £25,000 each to secure the required paperwork.

The scam exploits laws that allow residency in the UK to be decided on EU free movement rules rather than UK immigration laws.

Under the rules, if a Briton lives and works in another European country for a period of time they can bring in a spouse from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) without meeting immigration rules that would apply to Britons living here, such as meeting an income threshold of £18,600.

They can also bring in a