BARNET-BASED Kalpesh Karia and Whizzlaw Associates Limited have been banned indefinitely from providing immigration advice and services, the most serious sanction which can be recommended by the Immigration Services Commissioner.
He was also ordered to repay £4,300.
The latest ruling came after Karia and his company were found to have neglected the law to exploit vulnerable people.
Kalpesh Karia, also known as Bobby Karia, of Whizzlaw Associates Limited, Barnet, North London, received this ban following a ruling made by the First-tier Tribunal, General Regulatory Chamber (Immigration Services).
Following an investigation into a serious complaint made to the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) about Karia’s practice and company, its OISC registration was cancelled and disciplinary charges against Karia and Whizzlaw Associates Limited laid before the First-tier Tribunal.
At the Tribunal hearing last year, Judge Macmillan upheld the Commissioner’s decision to cancel his business registration, as well as the disciplinary charges.
As well as Karia and his service provider being banned indefinitely from providing immigration services, they were also directed to repay the complainant the sum of £4,300, which was held to be an unreasonable fee to charge.
Judge Macmillan said: “In making this finding, we have considered the fact that the advice given to [the complainant] and his parents was negligent, the fact that this conduct amounts to misleading the Home Office by means of misrepresentation of clients’ true immigration position…”.
Karia was punished for his deliberate financial exploitation of the complainant, including asking for £500 payment for a single letter and misrepresenting what the payments were for and future costs.
Immigration Services Commissioner John Tuckett said: “Kalpesh Karia was entrusted to advise vulnerable people who could not handle their immigration cases on their own. He took advantage of their vulnerability and betrayed their trust by his reprehensible conduct. I am delighted with the outcome in this case.”
