In a bizarre case of immigration fraud, a woman has been arrested in the UK for using different wigs and disguises to impersonate applicants during British citizenship tests. As per the Home Office, as cited by BBC, the accused 61-year-old from Enfield, North London, took the "Life in the UK Test" on behalf of at least 14 other people, both male and female, to help them gain an unfair advantage in obtaining 'indefinite leave to remain' status which essentially means permanent residency.
The authorities executed a warrant at the accused's home on Monday (Jan 27) and discovered a stash of false documents and an array of wigs that were seemingly worn to trick the interviewers. The woman is alleged to have taken the tests across different centres in the UK between 1 June 2022 and 14 August 2023.
The Home Office released images of her wearing the wigs as well as CCTV of her taking part in the interview. Inspector Phillip Parr, involved in the investigation, described the scheme as "dangerous", highlighting that meticulous planning was done on her part to execute the entire operation.
"This individual is believed to have orchestrated a pre-meditated plan to avoid detection, meticulously selecting disguises and test centre locations across the country to evade the authorities," said Mr Parr.
"As with many criminals who commit this type of crime, we believe her motive was financial gain," he added.
The woman remains in custody with the Home Office yet to inform about future course of action.
Internet reacts
As the news of the woman's arrest went viral, social media users questioned the government and agencies for not having stricter safeguards in place to avoid such a situation.
"Time to start using biometric identification such as fingerprints for Citizenship Tests?" said one user, while another replied sarcastically: "Fab news. The people she sat the tests for have had their British citizenship removed I take it?
A third commented: "You don't even fingerprint people? All of the atrocities committed against citizens is a direct result of incompetence at the Home Office. Shame on you!"
What is Life in the UK Test?
The Life in the UK Test, required for anyone seeking UK citizenship or indefinite leave to remain, consists of 24 questions aimed at ensuring applicants have adequate knowledge of British values, history, and society. An applicant must score 75 per cent or more to pass the test.
As per the Home Office, fraudulently completing these tests for others can result in individuals being wrongly granted residency, bypassing the necessary scrutiny.
