Brexit: UK banks become detective to find illegal immigrants

The BBC reported Friday banks and building societies in the UK will carry out checks from January to see if account holders are in the UK legally or not. The BBC quoted The Guardian as saying 70 million accounts will be looked at quarterly.

The BBC said financial institutions will be provided with a list from anti-fraud organisation Cifas on people who are liable for removal or deportation from the UK or who have absconded from immigration control, and these organisations will then have to report anyone they discover and freeze or close the accounts.

It said the checks form part of the Immigration Act passed in 2016, and the Home Office said it would only share details of those living here unlawfully.

Around 6,000 visa overstayers and failed asylum seekers are expected to be picked up in the checks extending over banks and building societies.

Accounts found to have significant sums will be frozen, with officials telling the media outlet it would create a “powerful incentive” for those involved to leave voluntarily.

But Satbir Singh, the chief executive of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, raised concerns, saying: “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.”
The measures are part of Prime Minister Theresa May's plans to create a “hostile environment” for illegal immigrants in Britain, and the accounts of those identified will be closed down or frozen.