Inquiry rejects 'sex for visas' claims

A Home Office inquiry has found that there was no evidence of a "sex for visas' scam being operated among immigration staff.

However, the inquiry did find that immigration staff had engaged in "unprofessional behaviour" towards applicants.

The investigation was launched after a former employee at the Lunar House immigration centre in Croydon claimed that women were being allowed to stay in the country in exchange for sex.

Anthony Pamnani, a former administration officer at the south London centre, made the claims in an interview with The Sun. He told the newspaper that he had quit his job in "disgust" at the behaviour of co-workers, which allegedly included pinning up passport pictures of women considered to be "ugly" on the wall and mocking them.

Mr Pamnani also alleged that Brazilian girls would often be granted longer stays in the UK than their boyfriends for no particular reason. He also alleged that security checks were lax and accused staff of failing to check passports for criminal convictions.

However, the Home Office's Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) found that there was "no evidence" to support the claims that a "sex for visas" scheme had been operated.

However, IND non-executive director Tim Gbedemah concluded that "a few PEO staff were engaged in unprofessional behaviour towards applicants". This included "bypassing the queue, making contact outside the office and inappropriately displaying and making fun of passport photographs."

(KMcA/GB)