Seventeen immigration offenders have been caught following our Immigration Enforcement operations in Oban.
On 9 May, our officers visited a number of licensed premises in Oban, working with officers from Police Scotland.
Checks on the immigration status of staff revealed 17 men had no right to work in the UK. They were all arrested with 16 being detained pending their removal from the country while one has been released awaiting further enquiries into his immigration status.
The premises visited during the operation were:
- Taj Mahal, on George Street, where 5 Bangladeshi men aged between 22 and 36 were arrested.
- Kebabish on George Street, where a 32-year-old Pakistani man was arrested.
- Crystal Palace, on George Street, where 2 Chinese men aged 43 and 45 were arrested and detained while a 3rd Chinese man was arrested but later released pending further enquiries.
- Light of India, on Stevenson Street, where 5 Bangladeshi men aged between 26 and 64 were arrested.
- Coriander, on Soroba Road, where 3 Bangladeshi men aged between 31 and 39 were arrested.
The businesses will be served with fines for employing the illegal workers. If the employers are unable to provide evidence that legally required pre- employment checks were carried out on the workers before giving them a job, a fine of up to £10,000 for each illegal employee will be given.
Adam Scarcliffe, assistant director, Scotland Immigration Enforcement team, Home Office said:
'The message for anyone living and working in Scotland illegally is clear - it doesn't matter where you are, we will track you down and remove you from the country.
'We're undertaking operations like this throughout the country on a regular basis, and more are planned. We're happy to work with businesses to let them know what checks need to be made on staff, but those who break the law should know that they will face heavy fines.
'I would urge members of the public with detailed information about suspected immigration abuse to get in touch.'
Employers unsure of the steps they need to take to avoid employing illegal workers can visit our page on preventing illegal working or call the Employers Helpline on 0300 123 4699.
