A woman from Zimbabwe has been arrested for problems relating to her lack of UK work permit or immigration documentation.
The 38-year-old Sikhumbuzule Sbanda, of Ward End in Birmingham, was arrested on July 6th by UK Border Agency (UKBA) officers. She was charged with identity and fraud offences pertaining to suspicions that she used a forged passport - rather than the legally required UK work permit or other documentation – to obtain employment as a care worker.
She appeared at Coventry magistrates court on July 7th to hear the accusations and has been remanded in custody until her next appearance at Coventry crown court on August 17th.
Andy Carter, of the UKBA's West Midlands criminal and financial investigation team, commented: "Our specialist crime teams of immigration and police officers working together are cracking down on all forms of immigration abuse, whether this is identity theft, document fraud or sham marriages."
It is unclear at the moment whether or not any action has been taken against the care home that employed Ms Sbanda but businesses run the risk of substantial fines if they do not conduct the necessary right-to-work checks before employing someone.
Documents such as passports and work permits need to be looked over before taking on new employees. The fines for failing to do so can be as high as £10,000 for each illegal worker. More information for businesses concerned about this is available here.