UK immigration at airports given greater powers
January 27 2010 by Liam Clifford
Changes at UK airports to reduce the numbers of students entering on falsified UK visas.
UK immigration officials, stationed at airports, now have considerably more influence in refusing entry to the UK for students arriving on UK visas. The immigration officers now have the authority to refuse entry to UK student visa holders, who they feel have acquired their documents falsely or do not fulfil the criteria for entry.
This follows a report claiming that UK immigration workers at airports were finding it difficult to prevent students on false documents entering the UK once they had arrived and already obtained a student UK visa.
Before the change in policy, UK border agency staff were tied by rules that did not allow them to investigate suspicious entrants travelling on valid student UK visas obtained through suspected forged documents.
In a bid to lower the number students using false visas UK Immigration Minister, Phil Woolas, took the decision to grant UK immigration staff at airports greater powers to investigate entrants bank accounts and conduct interviews at the point of entry.
The new rules will allow UK border officials greater authority to make on the spot judgements.
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