Enforcement strategy
We will:
- create immigration crime partnerships with local authorities, police, HM Revenue & Customs and local agencies to detect those here illegally and block benefits;
- develop regional partnerships with workplace enforcement teams from other departments including HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), to track down and punish unscrupulous bosses who exploit the system;
- work jointly with local authorities to use fines of up to £20,000 against private sector landlords to tackle overcrowding - building on new search powers in the UK Borders Act;
- create a watch list of illegal migrants that can be provided to other government departments and agencies to deny access to services; run a pilot in three NHS trusts to test how our data can help ensure overseas visitors not entitled to free health care pay for it;
- review how the driver licensing system can be used to identify and combat illegal immigration; and
- pilot using our data to prevent fraud against the financial services industry by illegal migrants who are likely to disappear.
Last Updated: 08 February 2008