Member

One illuminating report I saw came from Sky News on Thursday 4 September by a data journalist called Joely Santa Cruz. She considered not merely the numbers but the sort of problems which the system is dealing with. The message I took from that report was that there is a certain laxity by the Home Office in checking applicants and dealing with fraudulent claims. The report told of an Indian national who used fraudulent papers to secure a visa for herself, her husband and her children, and who seems to have abandoned her course or did not take it up. The family is now making an asylum claim to stay here. The visas were awarded on the basis of fraudulent claims about the bank statement. This is another aspect of the gangs: it is sometimes the case that people set up in other countries and help applicants through the student visa process. These visas were awarded on the basis of fraudulent claims. The family has no money and are now being supported by the local authority while making their asylum claim.