UK Government warns aspirants of rising visa fraud in India

At a time when Indian nationals are receiving about one-fourth of UK visit Visas issued worldwide, the UK Government has cautioned of rising instances of visa fraud taking place in India. Aimed at protecting people from scams and tackling illegal migration, UK and Indian authorities announced the launch of a campaign to tackle visa fraud.

UK Minister for the Indo-Pacific, Seema Malhotra, is visiting India to see how joint UK and India efforts are helping protect people from exploitation, financial loss, and emotional distress while reducing the number of illegal entrants into the UK.

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As part of her visit, the UK Government's campaign to tackle visa fraud was launched in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The effort includes a Tamil-language WhatsApp chatbot and community engagement sessions to help people spot scams and access accurate visa advice. It builds on the success of the UK’s pilot campaign already underway in the Punjab region in northern India.

The campaign demonstrates the continuing momentum of the UK-India partnership, working together to protect vulnerable people and strengthen border security. It builds on UK–India Vision 2035, an agreement which includes a commitment to tackling exploitation by criminal organisations and reducing irregular migration.

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Authorities cautioned UK visa aspirants, urging them to not fall prey to the following: someone pretending to be from UK Visas and Immigration(UKVI) on social media asking for personal information, agents demanding cash-only payments with no receipt and "guaranteed" visa approval, visa fee payments being requested via email, phone or bank transfer, work recruiters providing visa documents with numerous errors and mistakes.

Referring to the partnership between India and the UK to tackle visa fraud, Minister Seema Malhotra said, "We want the message to be out there and the message to be clear: please stay safe. Don’t risk your dreams or your savings. Protect yourself from those criminals behind visa fraud, and all the risks associated with it". Our new bespoke WhatsApp chatbot offers information from authoritative UK visa department resources, so that people can access the right information and identify the warning signs of visa fraudsters, she added.