Fake visas: Pregnant Nigerian women, others, languish in British jails - UK based immigration lawyer Tope Olukole, Lagos
Saturday, April 26, 2008

R. Fola Rahman has lived all his life to defend black minority in the United Kingdom, against embarrassment emanating from the immigration quarters. His vast experience in immigration laws has been a blessing to the black race. Rahman, whose Minority Affairs and Advocacy, gives advice to prospective travellers to the UK, said it was sad that many Nigerians were suffering in British jails because they were wrongly advised to use fake papers to travel.




In an exclusive interview with the Saturday Tribune, he said many Nigerians were dying in immigration detention camps and prisons in the UK, noting that it was now a criminal offence to be in possession of any fake immigration document in the United Kingdom.

His words: “ Before last year, what they used to do was that they just deport you when you’re found with those fake documents. But now, it is a criminal act and that person will be prosecuted first before he is now deported. We have a lot of Nigerians, including pregnant women, who are in prisons because they were in possession of fake documents. So, to be an illegal immigrant in the UK is now a criminal offence.”

Rahman believes the situation is so because many Nigerians had been going through the back door in doing everything, including procuring visas.

He said the major reason why people have problems getting into and staying in the UK was that most times they would not get the right entry clearance or visa that could allow them into the country.

“Some people enter as visitors, and then they want to study or to get married or to do something else.

Most times when Nigerians go there, they either go with the wrong permit or they enter illegally.

Some use someone else’s passport, or a fake passport to enter the UK, there’s nothing that will allow them to stay there comfortably or allow them to work legally because they are not permitted. It’s just like a visitor in your house who you have not invited, who is hiding in your house. Can he have any right to ask you for food?”

He advised those who desired to go to the UK to be very open and honest with the immigration officers at the point of obtaining visa, saying “what happens is that before you go into the United Kingdom for any purpose at all, you need to make your intentions known to the entry clearance officer, the person interviewing you for visa. If you’re planning to relocate, say so. It’s better than going under false pretenses such as getting a visitor’s visa and then trying to change, when you could have done that from here.

“You’ve probably heard of stories of doctors and teachers seeking greener pasture abroad, only to end up washing dishes and corpses there.”

Rahman said situations like that arose because many of them did not have the right visa that would allow them do the job they were trained for.

Rahman says further that, ” if one travels to the UK on a visit, one must stay out of trouble by keeping to the rules. You must not exceed the period of leave given to you if you are a visitor. Many Nigerians who are there now went with visitors’ visas and after their visa expired, refused to return. Then, they automatically become illegal aliens who can be arrested. What kind of life would you be living there if you’re always worried that you’re going to be arrested? Don’t try the back door because you’ll be caught and you will go to jail”

“If you are a skilled person who goes on a visitor’s visa, don’t deceive yourself that you’ll be able to get a job that suits your skills”, he added.

In fact, he said that’s why there are many doctors and professors, skilled people who are cleaning streets and washing plates in the UK, because they didn’t have the right documents to do their job.

He advised that if any person must travel, he should seek proper advice and do it in a genuine way.

He said, it was salient that the immigrants should bare their minds so that it would be easy for their counsel to help when they ran into crisis.

He said his agency, Minority Affairs and Advocacy, is dedicated to the interest and development of the ethnic minority community and is concerned especially, with basic problems faced by immigrants daily in the United Kingdom.

http://odili.net/news/source/2008/apr/26/610.html

Why are so many Nigerians willing to risk their freedom to get into England?

Siena:

Because they want to get to London, which apparently's the same as Lagos!

Crazy world.

I remember when someone made this comment. I think it was last summer he also said something about taking a bus to London. Still cracks me up when I think about it. The comparison is hilarious and the resemblance is uncanny.

You mean to tell me you have never taken a bus to london before? Are you living in the stone age?

nport:

You mean to tell me you have never taken a bus to london before? Are you living in the stone age?

Well taking a bus from somewhere in Nigeria to London. I tried once but it failed. Maybe like Pinky and the Brain I'll try again every night.