JOIN USAn Indian citizen who tried to submit hundreds of fraudulent British visa applications was on Tuesday sentenced to four years and nine months in prison and faces deportation to India.
Bhavin Shah, 34, of Edgbaston Road in Watford, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to defraud the Home Office, giving immigration advice illegally and money laundering during the first day of his trial at Isleworth crown court.
Operating from his business premises in Trinity House, Wembley and Viglan House, Alperton, Shah charged clients between 3,000 pounds and 5,000 pounds to process their applications for visa extensions, even though he was not a registered immigration advisor or solicitor, a UK Border Agency statement said.
Shah allegedly use forged bank statements and qualification certificates to support their applications, often without the knowledge of the applicant.
Some of these documents were found on computers seized during UKBA raids in November 2011. Those raids followed information supplied by an undercover newspaper reporter, to whom Shah had boasted about how he could circumvent the system. Financial investigations showed that Shah had transferred around 300,000 pounds to bank accounts in India. Paul Tansiri, who led the investigation for the UK Border Agency, said: “Shah was a conman who thought he could cheat the system.”
He added: “Not only will Shah face deportation after serving his sentence, we have also begun Proceeds of Crime Act proceedings to prevent him from benefiting financially from his crimes.”