LONDON: People smugglers are using UK tourist visas to enter Britain and travel onward to the EU via illegal crossings, the Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday.
Through the illegal “back door” route, about 22 North African migrants — including Algerians, Moroccans and Tunisians — were captured by police in Dover attempting to use a truck to smuggle themselves into France.
Their planned route, which began legally in the UK via tourist visas, stands in contrast to the English Channel crossings that have frustrated British authorities, where migrants enter the EU illegally and travel northward to Britain.
It is believed that the new route into Europe is preferred by French speakers as a safer option to the dangerous Mediterranean Sea crossings.
The UK Home Office granted more than 40,000 visas to Moroccans and Algerians in the year ending March.
EU authorities fear that the Schengen zone, the free-movement area in Europe, has led to porous borders and an inability to control people flow.
Migrants also show a preference for countries based on language, with French-speaking North Africans choosing France as their destination of choice.
The new “reverse” route is frustrating UK Border Force officials, as the migrants are technically not committing any crime on British shores.
France, as part of its bid to prevent illegal migration, controls a small police force in Dover to oversee border checks.
The crime of crossing into France via truck is only outlawed in France, and cannot be prevented by domestic police in Dover.
A source told the Telegraph: “They (migrants) are getting visitor visas to come to the UK as tourists, but in reality, they don’t want to come here, they want to live in France.
“They are trying to smuggle themselves out of the UK, but they are getting caught by the French in Dover and handed back to us.
“We then have to figure out what to do because they have valid leave to enter the UK. There is a possibility they are illegal entrants because they came here under false pretences. Last week’s incident was the first time this has happened.”
The new route is adding to the woes of border officials, who are facing a renewed surge in Channel crossings as a result of the summer weather. Last week, 1,278 people crossed via boat into the UK over a six-day period.
A Home Office spokesman said: “Abuse of our immigration system will not be tolerated and we have robust measures in place to ensure compliance.
“We are committed to an immigration policy which welcomes those in genuine need but deters illegal immigration, prevents the abuse of public funds and removes foreign criminals from the UK.” Reuters
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