- Friday, April 26, 2024
By: Lauren Codling
MIGRANTS are paying criminals to feed them correct answers via tiny earpieces so they can pass tests to gain British citizenship, an investigation has found.
Aired on BBC One’s Inside Out on Monday (4), footage shows security allowing fraudsters to feed ‘customers’ the right answers to the tests.
An undercover reporter met with Masoud Abul Raza, the director of a learning academy in London which helps candidates to prepare for the test. However, instead of offering tuition, Raza told the reporter to pay £2,000 and then he could cheat the Life in The UK test.
“You have to spend nearly £2,000. This is the business, it’s completely hidden. But you are getting a result,” he said.
The reporter was provided with a hidden two-way earpiece, linked to a concealed mobile phone with an open line, by the gang.
“Everything will be arranged. He will give you the answer,” Raza told the undercover journalist.
When the reporter went to participate in the test, he was not searched beforehand and was able to have another individual relay the answers to him. The earpiece went undetected.
He passed the test, despite cheating, and was handed over a form which would enable him to gain citizenship.
Statistics show that one in four applicants fail the test.
The BBC heard some were paying criminals to cheat the Life in the UK test, as anxiety grows over citizenship rights post-Brexit.
One female migrant confirmed she had cheated over fears of being kicked out of the country after Brexit.
In the last year, nearly 150,000 people have sat the test. It is made up of 24 multiple-choice questions which cover a variety of subjects including history, art and sport.
The test is taken on a computer and has a pass mark of at least 18 correct answers.
When approached for comment, Raza denied the allegations and claimed he only organised legitimate training.
Jay Sudra, a former immigration officer, has urged the Home Office to investigate the issue.
“How many citizens do we have in the UK that have fraudulently obtained a test certificate? It potentially runs into thousands,” he said. “You have to question the security of the entire process.”
In response to the findings, a Home Office spokesperson said: “Where we have evidence that a test centre is failing to uphold our standards, we will investigate and take appropriate action.”
