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From The Sunday Times

March 30, 2008

Home Office in illegal immigrants cover-up

David Leppard

Click here to read the Home Office care home memo

Hundreds of illegal immigrants – including a suspected murderer and other criminals – are working in care homes in Britain, a leaked Home Office report has disclosed.

In some homes more than half the employees have entered the country illegally and are now being entrusted with caring for old and vulnerable people. The immigration intelligence report found that one illegal worker was a murder suspect from the Philippines and others had been involved in the “abuse and mistreatment” of elderly people.

The report, which was produced more than two years ago, warned that the problems were “widespread” and “significant”. But officials say its findings have been ignored.

“Very few of these cases are acted on,” one official said. “Ministers have turned a blind eye in the obscene interests of costs. These cases are not seen as a priority and most of them simply go to the bottom of the pile.”

The leak follows the fiasco last year when Jacqui Smith, the home secretary, admitted that more than 11,000 illegal immigrants had been cleared to work as security guards. It also comes as Gordon Brown prepares to launch his flagship UK Border Agency, which is designed to bolster the country’s protection from illegal immigrants, terrorists and other criminals.

David Davis, the shadow home secretary, said: “The Home Office is turning a blind eye and allowing some of the most vulnerable people to be put in the care of people who by definition cannot have a criminal records check.”

The 22-page intelligence report examined 110 investigations into the employment of suspected illegal immigrants in care homes in the south and southwest of England.

The situation was so bad, the report notes, that “there is potential for embarrassment if the immigration service is not seen to be actively addressing this issue”. Many of the illegal workers were using false names and forged identity documents to bypass police criminal records checks. The suspected Filipino murderer had used fraudulent references to get a job at a care home in Plymouth.

The report discloses that Home Office ministers had failed to tackle the problem because most of the illegal care home workers were from countries such as Zimbabwe, Nigeria and South Africa, which were not on the priority list identifying those who should be targeted.

This restriction “does not allow the immigration service to take any form of action”, it says. Offenders are rarely brought to court because of a lack of resources. “There is no deterrent factor for those involved in these activities,” the report states.

One of the few prosecutions was a case in Nottingham in 2001 when an illegal immigrant was jailed for raping a woman in his care. The woman could not speak and had the mental ability of a three-year-old.

The report, which has been leaked by Whitehall officials exasperated that little has been done about the problem, reveals:

— that 58 of 113 employees of a firm running two homes in Hampshire and Wiltshire were suspected illegal offenders;

— that 36 of 58 people at a Southampton care agency were working illegally, mostly using fake identity papers;

— and that 22 of 55 foreign nationals who applied for employment through a Salisbury agency were immigration offenders

The document says the proliferation of untrained and unqualified illegal migrants, many with unknown backgrounds, poses a direct risk to some of the estimated 480,000 elderly and vulnerable people in the 21,000 care homes in England and Wales.

It states: “The severity of the reported incidents varies, ranging from care workers not being suitably qualified, to the abuse of clients within their care.

If this is allowed to continue without action all have the potential to be damaging to the public and media perception of the immigration service.”

Mark Hammond, of the PCS union, which represents 2,000 immigration officials, said: “This report exposes the government’s big lie. There are not enough resources to enforce immigration law because of budgetary constraints and activity is set to decrease not increase, due to cuts in duties scheduled for weekends. Vitally important work won’t be actioned and vulnerable people will be at risk.”

The report found that there were so many illegal immigrants in two care homes in Bristol that a proposed operation at Christmas by the Home Office to arrest them was cancelled because it would have involved the removal of the majority of staff.

The Home Office feared there would be “negative publicity” if it was held responsible for leaving old people without care.

Liam Byrne, the immigration minister, said controls had been tightened up since the report. “Every visa applicant is now fingerprinted before they reach here, ID cards become compulsory for all foreign nationals from November and £10,000 on-the-spot fines are now in place for any illegal workers.”

The report, however, blames government policy for the lack of action. “The predominant nationalities identified working illegally within the care industry do not necessarily correspond with current national priorities for enforcement action,” it says.

I work for the farce that is the BIA-what name do we go by today I wonder.Staff are no longer proud to work for this government.Morale disappeared a very long time ago.Cuts to weekend working now mean that the pay rise received last year is now obsolete.A huge number of staff are now left unable to pay their mortgages.However higher management continue to receive large bonus payments.We are expected to achieve huge targets set by higher management yet they have cut all resources available to us.Failure to achieve the set targets results in a pay cut through the annual reporting system.We are now being told we will work in a border agency with HMRC and UK Visas.We still haven't been told what will happen to the positions we currently hold as individuals.Jobs will be cut as yet another cost cutting measure.However the HO insists on using outside agencies to recruit staff at a huge cost.After 17 yrs service I am now looking for other employment-a job where I will be valued & praised.

jane, gatwick,

I used to work with the elderly and infirm in nursing, residential homes and hospitals. I also worked as a home help - providing personal support in clients' own homes. I loved helping people and they appreciated what I did for them.

I no longer work as a part time carer - I am now an Immigration Officer. I changed my career path in an attempt to provide my son with a decent upbringing without relying on state benefits - I am divorced and have been a single parent for the past 12 years. I now have a car and a mortgage and a so-called decent job, but I am completely disillusioned over the frustrations of my job and the fact that my hands are tied. I cannot go back to care work because I need to pay my mortgage - catch 22.

If the government showed more respect for the work that carers do, through providing proper training and decent pay, it might attract more English people like myself, who just want to be able to make a difference.

Tammy, Croydon, Surrey

The hypocrisy of the British Government is breath-taking, when they came to power they promised to protect workers rights and introduced the minimum wage. Now we have a situation were almost anyone from anywhere can apply for work in a residential home, trustworthy or criminal.

Almost everyone is a loser, the poor elderly residents and the care workers, are they properly trained, monitored and paid??

However there always seems to be just one group of people that always come out smelling of roses and that's the Bosses of these companies that get an unlimited supply of cheap readily available labour. Yes we must keep business costs down at any expense, well at the expense of our most poorly paid workers anyway.

Workers at the bottom of the labour market have been priced out of construction, farming, the service industries etc.

The Government has made poor UK nationals and migrants fight for the worst paid jobs in the UK, they must be really proud of what they have achieved.

Graham, St. Albans, UK

why is the home office not solving the problem by giving an amnesty to the illigal immigrants if they prove that they are working and paying the tax,it's simple just do it like spain it will solve the problem because those poeple are human aswell they have the right to live in good conditions with ability to travel outside the country and work here.they pay tax they work in difficult conditions why not being human it will be good for both sides.

fred, cardiff, uk

It's hardly surprising that the immigration system is in its present state considering the ethnic make up of those running the service. My husband, an ex RAF officer applied for a position as an immigration officer in 2002. When called for interview he found that not one other person in the waiting room appeared to be from British ancestry. Interestingly he didn't get called for a 2nd interview.

Jacqui, Wellington , New Zealand

Dan K, London,

Non-EU immigrants with a WORK PERMIT figures4U Mate:

From 2004, Total Immigrants from India: 220,000

India is the third largest global investor (more than Â£17 Billions) in Britain next only to US and Japan. Indian companies are taking over many not-so-profitable British companies and turning them into profitable. Non-EU students, who pay Â£9,000 per year tuition fee to study in the UK. The reality is that British colleges and Universities desperately need Non-EU studentâ€™s tuition fee to survive and keep the doors open.

From 2004, Total Immigrants from Pakistan: 65,000
From 2004, Total Immigrants from Bangladesh: 39,000

From 2004, Total immigrants from Poland: 645,000 signed up to the special work registration scheme. There are 300,000 didn't sign up but working via temp agencies. Polish workers make up 75% of all workers from the eight Eastern European EU countries.

In 2007, only 225,000 work permits were approved for Non-EU immigrants.

Uma Shankar, UK,

Get the figures right Uma Shankar. Majority ARE Non-EU, predominantly Indian and Pakistani. EU are falling.

Dan K, London,

The most important point revealed here is the lack of control over the quality, training and motivation of those who work in care homes. It is a national disgrace.

Rod Hickey, Southampton, UK

Nothing will change - the immigrants now run this country and that includes the Scots, and what do any of them care about England or the English, we are an abandoned people.

Marty, London,

To answer Charles Alsenforth: you don't FIND them, you advertise, then you select, and then you train the staff properly, and pay a decent salary for the work required to be done. After all, the salary paid to 'support workers' is normally determined by the agency employing them, or even by the Care Home being owned and managed by a few multi-millionaires along the way. That is nothing to do with any government decision - government compliance, maybe, but the decision is made by those in charge of the care home and taking the bulk of the profit being paid for by the residents and/or the local authority.

James Doll, London,

This isn't about blanketing "immigrants", it's about vulnerable people being exposed to dangerous criminals who, by definition, cannot have a criminal record to be checked. The government and the Home Office should be ashamed at putting costs before the safety of the older generations. How would they feel if it was their grandparents at risk?

Sam, Harrogate ,

"...all have the potential to be damaging to the public and media perception of the immigration service."
In another place, this would be considered a 'masterly understatement' : in the UK today, it has become impossible to further damage our perception.
In response to one of Uma Shankar's postings: our Aussie friends come and go, and long may they be welcomed.
To the best of my knowledge, it is not yet an accepted custom for them to arrive on visitors' visas with the deliberate intention of 'ducking the radar' to remain permanently, or until they can legitimize their status through marriage.
Several acquaintances of mine - from Canada, NZ, and Australia, have in recent years overstayed their time and been forced to return home and re-apply through official channels, which they have done.
Please spare us the 'bleeding hearts' ritual.

MikeM, St. Albans, England

The UK has become the worlds dumping ground for the disaffected and all because this Labour government removed all border controls when they came to power.

D Case, Newquay,

Arrest and deport all illegal immigrants working in care homes.... job well done. Now how do we find enough carers legally allowed to work in the UK, prepared to work for the minimum wage, to fill in the gap?

Charles Alsenforth , London, London

The only aspect of this that surprises me is that some people may be surprised. Anybody who has an elderly relative in London in sheltered housing and/or a care home will by now be well aware of the problem our elderly people are facing: simply trying to understand the language of the numerous people who knock on their front door and demand to be admitted, and then demand to deal with their personal care. I cannot even begin to find one single reason why I would welcome that kind of onslaught at 8 am, especially when I become an elderly, vulnerable, frail person in need of care. I can suggest a few agencies in the Kings Cross area that need investigating, plus a few Domiciliary Care Agencies being paid enormous sums of money by the local authority to provide the care workers. Strange how so many of them can't speak a single word of understandable English - apart from "my name is Maria - I have come to support you".

I am ashamed of the fact that I pay for it to happen.

James Doll, London,

The government is obsessed with increasing our population as fast as it can by immigration, legal or illegal. Why? The sole purpose seems to be 'economic'.
1) We already have 60 million people in Britain. Is this not enough? Countries with smaller populations, and which are far less congested have a higher quality of life (Scandanavia, New Zealand).
2) If the argument is that the population, at whatever level, needs to grow for ever, to maintain 'economic progress', this is sheer lunacy - totally unsustainable. In the not too distant future the world will start running out of resources, starting with energy & food. The world, & British, population is already far too high if countries use up resources as fast as they are doing at present.
3) In a finite world, with finite resources, population & use of resources cannot increase for ever. No government, least of all our own, will acknowledge this.

Dave, Wrexham,

I won't be quite surprised if 'Immigration' over takes 'Football' as Britain's favourite 'Sport'. Not a week goes by without news on 'Immigration' and 'Immigrants'.

Let us be very clear about the two group of immigrants coming into the UK. The first group of immigrants are from the EU countries and the second group of immigrants are from the Non-EU countries. The immigrants from EU countries have crossed a 1.6 million mark and growing. The immigrants from Non-EU countries have down from 280,000 to 225,000. Majority of them are Non-EU students, who pay Â£9,000 per year tuition fee to study in the UK. This is the reality that British colleges and Universities desperately need Non-EU studentâ€™s tuition fee to survive and keep the doors open.

Uma Shankar, UK,

If a naturalised British citizen of Indian origin would like to invite his Indian parents from India to see their grandchildren, now he needs to pay a refundable security deposit of Â£1,000 for each person, obtain the deposit certificate from the UK Home Office and send it to them to apply for a 3-month valid visitor visa to UK. If a naturalised British citizen of Australian origin would like to invite his parents from Australia to see their grandchildren, he needs to just give them a call. His parents can catch next flight to the UK. Because, Australians are exempted from obtaining a visitor visa for a 6 months stay in the UK. After 6 months, they can pop out to France and come back into UK for another 6 months. If this is not total racial discrimination of Asians in the name of 'Immigration Rules', can somebody explain me better of what it is??

Uma Shankar, UK,

Today's great British politics, lifestyle, business, economy and national cuisine (Chicken Tikka Masala is the national dish of Britain since 2000!) are being greatly influenced by the Asians. A very remarkable feat that the Scottish, Irish and Welsh trio couldn't able to do for several centuries and had totally failed. Also, majority of the Asians are educated, hard working and economically prospering than ever before. If the first wave of Asian migrants helped to revive the shops and stores on Britain's streets, the second and third generation of Asians are now making their mark on the financial and business world. Now, India is the third largest global investor in Britain next only to US and Japan. Indian companies are taking over many not-so-profitable British companies and turning them into profitable. Thus, creating jobs for the British. Remember richest citizen of the United Kingdom and Europe is not a native British but India born Steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal.

Uma Shankar, UK,

Because of the 'Unstable' UK immigration policies, by 2020, the UK work force will be fully filled in by the EU immigrants, who are un-skilled, semi skilled, not English speaking, having no professional qualification and not planning to work for long time in a particular industry. As the Asian economies are growing 4 times faster than EU, the professionally qualified, educated, experienced, skilled, English speaking Non-EU immigrants won't be coming to UK as in the past. By 2030, the UK's work force will be less hard working, uncompetitive and have loads of un-skilled. They will be in for a 'fight of their life' against a hard working, very competitive, educated and skilled Non-EU work force in Asia and Africa.

This is the reality. Mr.Brown and Co do not want to know you this truth. Full Stop.

Uma Shankar, UK,

I learnt that England lacks laborers.

Tiger, Zhoushan, China

Immigration (uncontrolled / out of control / open door) will the legacy of this disasterous New Labour experiment.
Soon may it end, but the appalling effects of new age, new think, New Labour will haunt us for a generation.

Betty Fardean, Birmingham,

But when do we get them to admit to their part in the work permit fraud that put so many highly skilled IT professionals out of work back in 2003-2004?

David Bodden, London,

As the Schengen area expands to 24 countries today, why don't we join in? As far as I can see it would make no difference to us in terms of controlling our borders (we don't do that now) and life would certainly be simpler for travellers. I can't remember the last time I had to stop at a frontier in mainland Europe.

Colin, shrewsbury,

One could hardly make this up - but then in Brown's Britain...

Philip C, Wallingford, Oxon

these revelations are nothing new. I (unfortunately) worked for the Home Office for 31 years and can testify as to their blithering management incompetence stretching back decades. The management of the UK Immigration Service is little better. I do feel sympathy for long-suffering front-line staff however. They see so many things wrong about which they can do little if anything. One wonders just how bad it has to get before someone does something. The great British public really must awaken from its apathy. What a sad state this country is in. Peter Baker Fareham Hamshire

Peter Baker, Fareham, Hampshire

Home Office or Fudge?

H.Marph , London,

I wouldn't trust this governement to take my dog for a walk across the road. The have constantly lied of migration!

steve tea, manchester, cheshire

Again - are we shociked? - Yes
Are we surprised? - No. It is par for the course under Labour.

Edwin, Bucharest,

Further proof - if proof were needed - that the government cares only about its image and reputation, and not for the care, safety and well-being of the British people.
I'm sick to death of hearing reports like this. Who will rid us of this wretched government?

Doreen, Leominster, Herefordshire

Surprised?

Andrew Milner, Karuizawa, Japan

People care so little about their elderly in this country that they put them in care home, and those that would prefer to look after them at home cannot afford to do so because of the over inflated prices and costs of living. So if such is the attitude by our society is it any wonder that no one cares about who looks after them in the care homes.

Farrukh, Woking, UK