UK government to put banks to work on immigration control

The Home Office initiative, which was backed by Parliament in 2016 and will be in force from January, will see financial institutions given a list of people who are liable for removal or deportation from the UK or who have absconded from immigration control.

Any issues identified will then have to be reported to authorities giving any names while also freezing or closing the accounts in question.

According to The Guardian , 70 million accounts will be looked at quarterly to check the immigration status of the holders.

The checks form part of a series of measures in the Immigration Act 2016 aimed at encouraging illegal immigrants to leave the UK voluntarily.

It follows on from rules passed in 2014 intended to check the immigration status of anyone opening a new bank or building society account.

The Home Office said it would only share details of immigrants who were in the UK unlawfully.

This would include those who had exhausted all appeal rights and who should be denied access to banking services, Home Secretary Amber Rudd said.

However, Satbir Singh, chief executive of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, criticised the move.

He said: “The government’s own record shows it cannot be trusted even to implement this system properly. Immigration status is very complex, and the Home Office consistently gives out incorrect information and guidance.

“Migrants and ethnic minorities with every right to be here will be affected by the imposition of these new checks.”

Defending the move, a Home Office spokesperson said: “We are developing an immigration system which is fair to people who are here legally, but firm with those who break the rules. Everyone in society can play their part in tackling illegal migration.

“As approved by parliament in December 2016, from January banks and building societies will be required to carry out regular checks on the immigration status of all current account holders against the details of known illegal migrants to establish whether their customers are known to be in the UK unlawfully. This is part of our ongoing work to tackle illegal migration. People who are here legally will be unaffected.”