Group of individuals sentenced to prison for creating 2,000 fake marriage documents to help immigrants stay in UK

Four Nigerian nationals have been sentenced in London for creating over 2,000 fake marriage documents to support settlement applications that allowed individuals to remain in the UK illegally.

The organized crime group members received a total of 13 years in prison, as confirmed by Woolwich Crown Court on Tuesday.

Abraham Alade Olarotimi Onifade, 41, Abayomi Aderinsoye Shodipo, 38, Nosimot Mojisola Gbadamosi, 31, and Adekunle Kabir, 54, were involved in producing fraudulent EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) applications for Nigerian nationals from March 2019 to May the following year.

The EUSS was established in 2019 in response to the UK’s departure from the European Union and was accessible to EU and European Free Trade Association nationals. Successful applicants would receive either “pre-settled status” or “settled status,” permitting them to stay in the UK post-Brexit.

An investigation by the Home Office unveiled the gang’s illicit operations, which were based in both the UK and Lagos, Nigeria. The four men created more than 2,000 falsified Nigerian Customary Marriage Certificates and other fraudulent documents to support settlement scheme applications.

Onifade and Shodipo were convicted of conspiracy to facilitate illegal entry into the UK and conspiracy to provide articles used in fraud.

Onifade, residing in Gravesend in northwest Kent, received a six-year prison sentence. Shodipo, from Manchester, was jailed for five years.

The other two group members, Gbadamosi and Kabir, were sentenced to 18 months and nine months in prison, respectively.

Gbadamosi, from Bolton in Greater Manchester, was convicted of obtaining leave to remain through deception and false representation.

Kabir, a London resident, was found guilty of possessing an identity document with improper intention. However, he was acquitted of obtaining leave to remain through deception.

Home Office Chief Immigration Officer Paul Moran commented on the case, stating that the gang exhibited a strong desire to exploit UK borders. He expressed satisfaction that the group had been brought to justice.

“As with many criminal organizations we encounter, their primary goal was financial gain. I am pleased that my team could stop their operation, and I hope these convictions will act as a warning to unethical groups that take advantage of individuals desperate to stay in the UK.

“We will persist in our efforts to secure our borders and crack down on gangs that exploit vulnerable people for financial gain,” Moran added.

Immigration Rules

For those residing in the UK by the end of the Brexit transition period on Dec. 31, 2020, the deadline for an EUSS application was June 30, 2021.

The former Conservative government implemented new immigration rules in July of the previous year. Under the changes, individuals with pre-settled status would automatically receive a two-year extension if they had not obtained settled status before its expiration.

The changes also impacted the consideration of reasonable grounds for late applications. The government closed down the Surinder Singh and Zambrano routes, both of which were outside the UK’s commitments in the Withdrawal Agreement.

“Changes to the application process that took effect in summer 2023 have enhanced the ongoing integrity of the EUSS, further safeguarding it against fraud and abuse,” the Home Office stated in an email to The Epoch Times.

This year, officials conducted automated checks of pre-settled status to confirm applicants’ continuous residence in the UK.

“Measures will be in place to ensure that settled status is not incorrectly granted,” the Home Office assured.

Last week, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced new measures to bolster Britain’s border security, including the immediate recruitment of up to 100 new specialist intelligence and investigation officers at the National Crime Agency to combat organized immigration crime networks.