UK to seize illicit earnings as rogue immigration lawyers face clampdown

The United Kingdom government has approved a sweeping crackdown on fraudulent immigration advisers who exploit applicants and undermine the system.

Under the new measure announced on Wednesday, powers in the Proceeds of Crime Act have been extended to the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA), allowing the regulator to prosecute offenders, seize assets and confiscate illegal earnings without waiting for police support.

A Home Office statement noted that funds recovered from such prosecutions would be ploughed back into frontline policing and border protection to dismantle the criminal rackets they once financed. A portion of seized funds would also be channelled to the Multi-Agency Cash Cell at the border to combat illicit finance, including money laundering through illegal immigration services.

The Home Office cited cases in which individuals falsely paraded as immigration lawyers and made hundreds of thousands of pounds defrauding desperate applicants. One fake adviser was said to have made more than £500,000, while three others collectively netted over £3 million through online schemes advising on visa applications and deportation appeals.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis warned that those exploiting vulnerable migrants “will pay the price”.

“With these tough new powers for the Immigration Advice Authority, we are stripping criminals of their dirty money and using it to strengthen our borders and keep our streets safe,” he said.

The action complements earlier provisions under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which prescribes fines up to £15,000 for persons posing as immigration lawyers.