Banks are ordered to freeze accounts of illegal migrants after being given secret list of those 'hiding in Britain' in a bid to force them out of the country

by Amanda Cashmore, Daily Mail:

• Banks and building societies have been told to start checks on current accounts
• The scheme hopes to create a ‘hostile environment’ for illegal immigrants
• If an illegal immigrant is found to own an account, this could be shut down
• There are fears that those living in the UK legally could be penalised if the Government makes mistakes

Banks are being handed the names of suspected illegal immigrants by the Home Office and could be told to close down their accounts.

Banks and building societies have started immigration checks on millions of current accounts under a Government scheme, and could shut accounts down in the hope of pushing those unlawfully staying in the UK out of the country.

Newly appointed Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes said the UK has a transparent stance on immigration: ‘This Government is clear: we expect them to leave voluntarily,’ she said in The Telegraph.

Newly appointed Minister of State for Immigration, Caroline Nokes, said: ‘We must be firm with those who break the rules as illegal immigration impacts the whole of society’

She added that those remaining in the UK illegally were diminishing wages, adding strain to public services and permitting employers to ‘undercut’ honest businesses. 

The plan was introduced by ministers as part of attempts to create a ‘hostile environment’ for those in the UK unlawfully.

It requires banks and building societies to check the immigration status of all current account holders against details of known illegal migrants held by authorities.

If an illegal migrant is found to be operating an account, this will be flagged to the Home Office.

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