Two women arrested for using wigs to fake UK citizenship tests

A woman has been arrested on suspicion of using multiple disguises to fraudulently pose as 12 other people to help them pass a UK immigration test.

The 42-year-old, who has not been named, has been accused of giving the applicants an “unfair advantage” in the Life in the UK test, the Home Office said.

It is alleged she completed the tests at a number of centres across the UK, disguising herself and doctoring ID documents to evade detection from authorities.

The test is a requirement for anyone seeking to obtain indefinite leave to remain or naturalisation as a British citizen.

It consists of 24 questions aimed at proving the applicant has sufficient knowledge of British values, history, and society.

The Home Office said fraudsters completing the test for others could result in people being wrongly granted the right to remain in the country without proper due diligence, “potentially putting the public at risk”.

The woman was arrested at an address in Dartford, Kent, on Friday.

A second woman, suspected of using wigs to disguise herself to sit the British citizenship test for other people, has been arrested.

The 42-year-old opened her bedroom window to see what was happening before being ordered downstairs and detained.

It’s alleged that she used various wigs to sit the Life in the UK test on behalf of 12 applicants in different parts of the country between 2022 and 2023.

Chris Foster, Immigration Enforcement’s Criminal and Financial Investigation lead, said: “There are 30 test centres around the UK and hundreds of thousands of people throughout the course of the year who sit the Life in the UK test and many are doing it legitimately.

“But there are people who will try to cheat the system and this person, we suspect that’s what she’s done – on at least 12 occasions and for the benefit of others.

“It completely undermines our immigration rules and immigration system and that’s why we’re here today, to really bear down on people like this.”

The woman’s home was searched where officers seized several wigs, alongside around 50 pairs of designer shoes, a number of watches and bags and what are suspected to be false documents.

Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle said: “This arrest – the second made in less than two weeks – goes to show that those who flout UK immigration laws for their own gain will be caught and will face consequences.

“It comes on the heels of the introduction of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill – legislation that takes learning from the effects of counterterrorism laws and applies it to organised immigration crime.

“As part of the Government’s Plan for Change, this Bill will increase activity across law enforcement agencies and Border Force to turbocharge efforts to smash the gangs, protect our borders and save lives.”

Officers seized several wigs, alongside around 50 pairs of designer shoes, a number of watches and bags and what are suspected to be false documents.

Wigs seized in the raid. Picture: Supplied

The Life in the UK test, which asks questions about British culture, values and laws, is a requirement for anyone who applies for indefinite leave to remain in the country.

The Home Office says fraudsters completing the Life in the UK test for others could result in people being wrongly granted the right to remain in the country without proper due diligence, potentially putting the public at risk.

Chris Foster added: “At the end of the test, the person who’s passed is a step closer to British citizenship and a British passport and it’s the ripple effect for me, because when someone else sits it for you, it opens up opportunities for people to abuse that passport.

“They could for instance sponsor other people to come to the UK, so we’ve got a real responsibility to make sure everybody who becomes a British citizen is properly vetted alongside the rules.