It is a known fact that everyone wants to go to UK by making the use of Portuguese connection in various forms such birth registration in Portugal, having the ‘bilhete de identidade’ and enjoying the dual citizenship (although it is illegal) but many a times people use the illegal procedures to acquire the UK citizenship. Here is the case in which 3,000 Indians managed to enter the UK with fake papers. Read here…
[su_expand more_text=”READ MORE” less_text=” ” height=”0″ hide_less=”yes” link_style=”button” link_align=”center”] It has been estimated that around 40,000 Goans have registered their births in Portugal under the provision offered by the state’s former colonial rulers to those born before Goa’s liberation in 1961 and to their children but holding neither a Portuguese passport nor a ‘bilhete de identidade’ (ID card).
According to the news published by the Daily Mail around 3,000 Indians managed to enter the UK with the help of fake papers making use of immigration loopholes. The sources have revealed that, Gangs are operating from Lisbon, London and Leicester has been paid up to 22,000 pounds a time. The information surfaced by the Daily Mail has claimed that thousands of Indians entered Britain using the fake documents brought from criminals exploiting immigration loopholes.
You can also read – Issue of Portuguese nationality for Goans
The forged papers entitles the holders to obtain EU passports using a bizarre but entirely legitimate back door which gives those living in former Portuguese colonies the right to come to Europe. An estimated 3,000 Indians have entered the UK in this manner with the help of a gang operating in Lisbon, London and Leicester, paying the criminals up to £22,000 a time.
The sources have reveled that, MPs urged the Prime Minister David Cameron to force the Portugal government to end the loophole. Tory MP Bill Cash said: ‘This blatant abuse needs to be closed down immediately.’
You can also read – Dual Citizenship Issue
Under Portuguese law, Indians born in Goa, Diu and Daman before 1961, or their children and grandchildren, can apply for Portuguese passports because these were colonies of Portugal until those years. As an outcome of this around 20 thousand Indians managed to obtain the Portuguese Passports in India and entered straight into Britain without even setting their foot in Portugal. Now we can reveal that Portuguese police and the UK’s Home Office and National Crime Agency have gathered evidences indicating that 3,000 Indians obtained the passports with false birth and marriage certificates provided by the gang.
According to the sources, in the month of December the Home Office along with the NCA investigators, Leicestershire Police and Portuguese immigration officers raided seven properties in Leicester and one in London. A suspect of Pakistani origin, described as a kingpin in the gang, was arrested in Leicester.
You can also read – Registration of birth in Lisbon
The report says that the identity of the man is not yet ascertained, been allegedly receiving thousands of pounds from the clients to provide them with authentic Portuguese documents based on fraudulent papers will be handed over to Portugal. At least 20,000 people have evaded strict checks on non-EU residents coming to the UK after obtaining Portuguese passports in India which give them full rights to live and work here.
According to the sources, till date there have been three arrests in Lisbon. Arrested man believed to be a part of the similar gang which operates in Europe and India. To avoid this in future the Portuguese government has introduced new measures to stamp out the fraud. All birth and marriage certificates put forward by Indian applicants now have to be checked against originals at Indian register offices. A Home Office spokesman said: ‘We want to restore a sense of fairness to our immigration system.’
Source: Daily Mail
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