MANILA, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The British Embassy in Manila Wednesday warned
that Filipino visa applicants who submit fake documents will be apprehended and
cannot apply for entry to the United Kingdom for ten years.
Mark Date, head of the embassy's visa section, said that the British
government has a "zero-tolerance policy" on fraud and falsification.
Date said some applicants submit false certificates of death, marriage and
birth, fake bank statements and real estate documents. A number of married
applicants were also discovered to have lied about their civil status so they
could re-marry in the UK.
The embassy has found out that quite many applicants claim to have
businesses in the Philippines to make it appear that they are people of high
standing or have money to enter the UK.
"Don't do it. You will be found out. We have no tolerance to it and when
you are found out you will be handed out to authorities," Date said.
Since 2007, the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), in
cooperation with the UK embassy, has apprehended 70 individuals due to fraud.
"Our job is to make sure that the right people are in the UK and we want to
entice as many people to travel there. We don't want to entice people who are
going to use forged or fraudulent documents or give false declaration on any
aspect of their application," Date said.
According to Date, the British Embassy is also coordinating with the
Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP) to go against syndicates that
supply fake bank statements or certificates.
The UK's visa service processes more than 40,000 visa applications from the
Philippines.
New UK immigration rules prevent anyone who has previously broken
immigration laws, such as those who have worked illegally, overstayed for more
than 28 days, or come to Britain illegally, from coming to the UK for a fixed
period.
Applicants who have used deception, used a false document, lied or withheld
information, in their visa application will be banned from the UK for ten years.
