Immigration: Kang used Facebook groups to target victims
A man convicted of three counts of providing unregulated immigration advice and services has been handed a suspended prison sentence.
Sukhwinder Singh Kang, 33, of Camberley, Surrey, also pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud at Southwark Crown Court.
He received a concurrent sentence of 16 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, along with 150 hours of unpaid community work and 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days. Additionally, the court imposed a compensation order of £8,832, along with a victim surcharge of £156, with no order for costs.
Immigration is a unique practice area in that it is not a reserved legal activity but is subject to statutory regulation.
Between June 2020 and June 2021, Mr Kang targeted vulnerable young women and deceived them into paying significant sums of money by falsely purporting to be a qualified immigration adviser.
He selected his victims from Facebook groups, posing as an immigration adviser regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) and providing forged certificates of his alleged qualifications.
He assured each victim that he would handle their visa applications, misleading them through a series of WhatsApp and text messages that he was preparing and submitting them to the Home Office.
Each victim paid him substantial sums in advance fees, trusting them with their identity documents, which Mr Kang falsely claimed to have submitted to the Home Office on their behalf.
When each complainant threatened to report him, he promised full refunds, and in some cases, compensation, along with the return of their documents. Despite several attempts, none of the victims received any of the promised refunds or compensation.
The victims reported their concern to the OISC. John Tuckett, Immigration Services Commissioner, said: “This investigation highlights the true value of our efforts in preventing illegal practices and protecting vulnerable individuals.
“OISC investigations operate across the UK to identify, disrupt, and eliminate the unlawful activities of unregistered immigration advisers.”
