Balita Pinoy

PINOYS DEPORTED AFTER MAJOR RAID ON NURSING HOME

August 31, 2010

Nine illegal workers in care home deported - 6 Filipinos sent home

Nine illegal foreign workers, arrested during an immigration operation at a care home in Poulner, Ringwood on 29 July 2010, have been deported, the UK Border Agency has announced.

The migrants - 6 Filipinos, 2 Ghanians and 1 Malawian national - were removed from the UK between Tuesday 3 and Monday 14 August.

Another 2 two offenders remain in detention while we take steps to deport them.

Border officers, accompanied by Hampshire Adult Services and the police, had attended the Linford Park Nursing Home to check the immigration status of staff there. They discovered 13 immigration offenders, with 11 arrested and 2 granted immigration bail at the time.

The UK Border Agency (UKBA) said the operation was ‘part of planned nationwide action by the UK Border Agency to tackle illegal working, sham marriages, bogus colleges and organised immigration crime'.

Employers risk £10,000 fines

Lyn Sari, who heads the UK Border Agency's Hampshire local immigration team, said:

‘This successful enforcement operation shows that our officers will find immigration offenders wherever they are across Hampshire.

‘It is also an excellent example of partnership working with Hampshire's Adult Services, the Quality Care Commission, and the Hants Constabulary Public Protection Team. The UK Border Agency is committed to removing people who have no right to be in the UK, and will continue to work closely with other law enforcement agencies to do so.'

The UKBA added:

‘If the operator cannot provide evidence that it carried out the correct checks before employing the workers, it will be fined up to £10,000 per offender. If there is evidence that an employer has knowingly taken on illegal workers, we can pursue a prosecution.

‘Employers who do not know what they must do to avoid employing illegal workers should read our Illegal working section, or they can call our helpline on 0300 123 4699'.

Anyone suspecting that illegal workers are being employed at a business in Hampshire, can phone ‘Crimestoppers' anonymously on 0800 555 111 or contact the UK Border Agency. Source: UK Border Agency

The care industry relies heavily on overseas staff to fill jobs and managers should be more aware than most of the need to carry out proper checks on staff.

Cynthia Barker, leading OISC registered immigration adviser for Bison Management UK (which specialises in work and study related visas as well as a file checking audit service for employers), said:

‘Employers must ensure their staff files are in order and audited on a regular basis.

‘Bosses need an annual file check to ensure their employees have the right to work in the UK or risk a fine of up to £10,000, and if in doubt, take professional advice.

‘When I carry out audits for my clients I find the most common errors made by employers include: failing to check student visas and whether or not the visa is still valid, not checking that a student is studying, treating Bulgarian and Romanian workers in the same way as Polish EU staff and assuming a work permit is transferrable.'

If you require a file audit for your overseas staff contact, Cynthia at Bison UK on 0208 905 1822.

Further report from the BBC:

'Shock' at care home police raid

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