Crack down on fake entrepreneurs

Published on 31/01/2013 00:00

THERE is strong evidence bogus immigrants are creating fake companies in an effort to sneak into the UK, the government claims.

Home Office minister Mark Harper said immigrants were trying to exploit the “entrepreneur route” for visa applications, which the government had originally conceived as a strategy to attract genuine business leaders from overseas to set up in the UK.

Speaking yesterday, Mr Harper said illegal immigrants set up fake companies to prove their credentials or use the same funds repeatedly to claim they had a right to come to the country as entrepreneurs. The minister said a crack down on those abusing the system would begin today, with UK Border Agency introducing a “genuine entrepreneur” test.