An estimated 300,000 visas giving foreigners the right to come to Britain may be wrongly approved every year, a committee of MPs has been told.
Linda Costelloe-Baker, the independent visa monitor, told the Home Affairs Committee it was “reasonable” to assume 15% of short-term approvals were wrong.
She also said officials were “under pressure” to issue - rather than reject - visas to meet productivity targets. The Tories said it made a “mockery” of Labour’s claims to control immigration.
Embassies and consulates examine 2.4 million applications each year from tourists, business people and those visiting relatives - they check applicants intend to leave after their visa expires and have enough money to live in the country and are not looking for a job, Ms Costelloe-Baker told the committee.
‘Pressure’
Rejected applications were checked for accuracy but there was not a similar system in place to check applications that were approved, said Ms Costelloe-Baker.
“About 80% of visas are issued and yet there has been no external scrutiny over that 80%.”
Officials considering visa applications found it much easier to approve visas than reject them, she said because issuing was a “much faster” process than refusal.
“This makes a mockery of Labour’s claims to have a grip on our immigration system. It is obvious that its operation is neither firm, nor fair.
“This error rate not only increases the scope for increased illegal immigration, but is obviously a security threat.
“The public will be dismayed that Labour targets are making our border controls more vulnerable.”
Ms Costelloe-Baker’s role as the independent monitor of visa entry is being phased out and she will be replaced by a new chief inspector of the UK Borders Agency, John Vine, former chief constable of Tayside Police.
Mark Sedwill, the international director of the UK Border Agency, said: “Our decisions are fair and objective, and last year the Independent Monitor determined they were right and reasonable in 99% of cases.
“It is untrue to claim our staff give out visas when people do not meet the criteria set out in the immigration rules.
“In fact every application is scrutinised, fingerprints are taken, and the individuals checked against a range of watch-lists. Visas provide the first line of defence against those who seek to abuse the system. Travellers are subject to further tough checks at the border.
“Already we’ve fingerprinted more than three million people and identified 4,600 cases of identity fraud. So far this year we’ve refused visas to nearly 20% of applicants.”
The Office for National Statistics is due to publish its net migration figures - showing the numbers entering and leaving the UK - on Wednesday.
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