Pakistani man arrested in Heywood for overstaying his visa

A 47-year-old Pakistani man who was working at Bits N Pizza in Heywood has been arrested, for overstaying his visa, during a two week crackdown on illegal working across Greater Manchester.

Altogether 24 arrests were made across the region during an intelligence led operation carried out by Home Office Immigration Enforcement Officers from 8 September to 18 September 2015.

The action coincides with the Government’s announcement of the Immigration Bill, introducing new measures to make it tougher than ever to live illegally in the UK. The bill includes powers to crack down on the exploitation of low-skilled workers, increase the punishments for employing illegal migrants, and strengthen sanctions for working illegally.

Immigration Minister James Brokenshire said: "The message is clear — if you are here illegally, you shouldn't be entitled to receive the everyday benefits and services available to hard-working families and people who have come to this country legitimately to contribute.

“Whether it is working, renting a flat, having a bank account or driving a car, the new Immigration Bill will help us to take tougher action than ever before on those who flout the law.

“This Bill will build on the Government’s work since 2010 to crack down on abuse and build an immigration system that truly benefits the whole country – by deterring illegal migrants from coming and making it harder for those already here to live and work in the UK.”

The Immigration Act of 2014 made it harder for people to live in the UK illegally by restricting access to public services and benefits. Nearly 36,000 immigration offenders were removed from the UK last year. It also introduced the Immigration Health Surcharge to ensure that migrants contribute towards the cost of our National Health Service. Since April it has collected more than £100 million to contribute to the NHS for the benefit of us all.

The new Bill builds on this work to reduce the ‘pull’ factors that draw illegal migrants to Britain and the availability of public services which help them to remain here unlawfully.

It includes a range of new powers to:

• Tackle illegal employment, including a new offence of illegal working.
• Stop providing support to migrants who do not return home once all claims to asylum have failed.
• Strengthen our border security.
• Ensure all public employees in customer-facing roles speak good English.
• Electronically tag those on immigration bail. 
• Create a new role of Director of Labour Market Enforcement.
• Impose a new skills levy on businesses bringing migrant labour into the country so we can reduce our reliance on imported labour, and boost the skills of young people in the UK. 

Twelve of the 24 arrested have been detained while steps are taken to remove them from the UK. The remainder have been ordered to report regularly to the Home Office.

People with information about suspected immigration abuse can contact https://www.gov.uk/report-immigration-crime or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.