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on May 5, 2025
Read Time: 7 Minutes
No one ever wants to be the victim of a scam. However, the consequences of falling foul of such wrongdoing can be especially severe and heartbreaking when it comes to immigration scams. A timely reminder of this was provided by a recent BBC News report. Secret filming helped draw attention to some of the brazen tactics used by scammers trying to sell fake jobs to overseas nationals who are desperate to obtain a visa enabling them to work in the UK.
An undercover investigation by the BBC World Service found that rogue agents were resorting to such strategies as:
Migrant workers can be especially susceptible to visa scams in relation to the UK, given how eager they often are to pay potentially thousands of pounds to supposed “recruitment agents” in search of a better life.
If, then, you are concerned about the legitimacy of an offer you might have received to come and work in the UK, or if you would simply like to minimise your chances of being scammed, our experts in UK immigration law at Cranbrook Legal are on hand to help.
Below, we’ve listed some of the best ways to prevent yourself from becoming a UK visa scammer’s latest victim.
Whether you are interested in coming to the UK on a Skilled Worker visa, a Health and Care Worker visa, or any other work visa, it can be greatly useful to educate yourself on the official processes for your chosen visa, by referencing the GOV.UK website.
This will help ensure you are knowledgeable about crucial aspects like the job eligibility criteria, the application costs, and the documents you will require for a visa application. As a result, you will be better placed to spot false promises and other “red flags”.
A major benefit of undergoing the above education process, is that it will give you a stronger sense of the sheer complexity of the UK immigration system, and its stringent rules.
This means you will be much less likely to be misled by the “too good to be true” offers that bogus “recruitment agencies” might make to you. Examples of such “red flags” include offers of high salaries even if you have minimal relevant experience, and promises of “guaranteed” visas without the need for an English language test.
Before you engage in any meaningful way with an organisation that claims to be a recruitment agency in the UK – such as by giving them any personal details – it is crucial to verify it is a legitimate UK recruitment agency.
Here are some of the proven ways to do that:
Companies House is the UK’s official registry of companies. It is easy to use this Government executive agency’s website to look up information about the recruitment agency – such as its registered address, directors, and filing history – to help confirm its legitimacy.
The REC is the recruitment sector’s professional body, promoting best practice and setting standards for its member hiring agencies.
So, if you search the REC’s member directory for the given recruitment agency’s name and find it there, this will be a reassuring signal of it being a genuine UK hiring business.
You will also be better assured of the agency’s legitimacy if it has a physical office location that you are able to visit or verify. There should also be a publicly listed phone number that you can call to further help confirm the business’s legitimacy.
If the agency instead only gives a PO Box address or is vague in the contact details it provides, this should give you reason to be suspicious.
A well-developed online presence is a further indicator of a legit hiring agency in the UK. The agency should have a professional-looking website, complete with an official email address (e.g. an @recruitmentagencyname.com address, not a Hotmail or Yahoo one).
Also be sure to keep a lookout for any reviews or testimonials on LinkedIn, Glassdoor, or other online platforms.
Remember: the business model of UK recruitment agencies is that employers pay them to find candidates. Indeed, it is illegal to charge candidates recruitment fees in the UK.
A legit UK recruitment agency would never charge you to sign up with them, or for training. All in all, you should never have to pay to get a job in the UK, wherever you are from.
We have mentioned the term “red flag” a few times in this article – a reference to signs of potential danger. These signs can be extremely common in many UK visa job scams – but of course, you will need to know what else to look for.
If, for example, a given “recruitment agency” seems unprofessional or careless in its communications – contacting from a free Gmail or Hotmail email account, for instance, or sharing documents with you that have sloppy spelling or grammar errors – these could be indicators of a scam.
You should also be suspicious if the “agency” pressures you to act quickly – such as by demanding instant payment before you can proceed with the “opportunity” they’re presenting.
The early pressure that a scammer exerts on you, may include requests for personal details such as your bank information, or copies of your passport.
Again, you should be extremely wary if this happens, and we would urge you not to comply with any such requests until you have verified the legitimacy of the supposed agency or employer. Otherwise, you could be risking the recipient using your information for identity theft.
An important caveat needs to be added to this one: there is no such thing as a completely “risk-free” website or online platform on which to seek out job vacancies for the UK.
Nonetheless, you can help minimise your likelihood of getting scammed if you stick to jobs boards and platforms that have a good, longstanding reputation. Examples include LinkedIn, Indeed, and the UK Government’s own jobs portal.
A general benefit of using such reputable jobs boards and websites is that if you do encounter a listing or message that seems suspicious, you can report it, with the expectation of it being acted upon quickly.
If you have already shared your personal information with a “recruitment agency” or “employer” that you now reasonably believe to be bogus, we would advise you to take the following steps:
Another powerful course of action you can take to help protect yourself against UK visa scams, is speaking to a regulated immigration advisor in the UK before you place your trust in any “agency” that has approached you.
Immigration advice is tightly regulated in the UK. Indeed, it is illegal for anyone who is not UK regulated or qualified to provide immigration advice in the country.
The UK Government states that individuals should not seek immigration advice from an organisation or individual that is not registered by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) or another regulator, such as the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), CILEx Regulation, the Law Society of Scotland, or the Law Society of Northern Ireland.
As a proudly SRA-regulated immigration law firm in central London, here at Cranbrook Legal, we would be pleased to provide you with comprehensive and tailored immigration advice and services. In the process, we can help you avoid the many notorious UK visa scams.
Call us today on 0208 215 0053, or complete and submit our online free consultation form. By enquiring to our award-winning specialists in UK immigration law, you can soon put yourself on the path towards a rewarding new life in the UK.
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