30 year old man about to enter partnership with 68 year old British man
A 30-year-old Sri Lankan man has been arrested by the UK Border Agency just moments before he was due to take part in a suspected "sham" civil partnership ceremony with a man more than twice his age at Ealing Register Office.
Acting on information that the relationship may not be genuine, officers attended the Town Hall on New Broadway at around 3pm on Thursday 7 June.
The operation was carried out with the full co-operation of the registrar.
Just before the ceremony was due to begin UK Border Agency officers intervened, and the 30-year-old was arrested for being in the country illegally having overstayed his visa.
He had been due to enter into a partnership with a 68-year-old British man, but later admitted the purpose of the ceremony was to allow him to stay in the UK.
The 68-year-old British man was questioned by officers and released, while the Sri Lankan has been detained pending his removal from the UK.
Deputy Director Paul Wylie, from the UK Border Agency, said: "We're working closely with registrars across London to clamp down on sham weddings and civil partnership.
"Where there are suspicions that a relationship may not be genuine we will investigate and, if necessary, intervene to stop it happening."
A sham marriage or civil partnership typically occurs when a
non-European national marries someone from the European Economic Area as
a means of attempting to gain long-term residency and the right to work
and claim benefits in the UK.
For more information and contact details for the Ealing Local
Immigration Team visit:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/your-region/london-se/local-immigration-teams/
Anyone with information about immigration crime can contact
Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 anonymously or visit http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org/
8th June 2012