A secret government dossier highlighting the extent of fraud committed by migrants has been widely reported by the UK press. It is believed to be the first time that extensive and full details of the extent of migrant fraud has been reported. The types of fraud that were prevalent were the use of fake documents, entering into fake marriages, and fraudulently claiming to be related to citizens of the EU. More serious offences include human trafficking offences and ministers plan to use the information to lobby Brussels, in the hope that Europe will take migration rights seriously.
Prime Minister David Cameron is having a difficult time over Europe and immigration. A bill calling for a referendum on EU membership was defeated in Lords by Liberal Democrats and Labour peers. There have also been a number of rebellions from within Cameron’s own party regarding proposed new immigration laws.
According to the report, the most common method for migrants to try and exploit in order to enter the country is that of the sham marriage. Migrants are allowed to stay in, or enter the UK if they marry a UK or EU citizen. Registrars reported 1,891 suspected sham marriages in 2013; a significant rise from the 934 reported in 2010. Sham marriage rings are being investigated across the country.
Trafficking is often used as a means of facilitating additional crimes and fraud. Children and adults are trafficked into the country, and are either forced to commit crimes such as stealing, or are forced to register to receive benefits before having the money from those benefits stolen. In one single case, a Romanian gang was found to have trafficked more than 1,000 children into the country in order to use them in these ways.
Fraudulent documents remain a persistent problem. People attempt to travel into the country using visas, passports, and documents that have been doctored or created from scratch, and are illegal and fraudulent. According to the report, 73% of all fraudulent documents seized in 2009 were from the EU or EEA. This had risen to 83% in 2012.