By David Barrett, Home Affairs Editor For The Daily Mail
22:00 31 Dec 2023, updated 22:10 31 Dec 2023
- An unknown number of migrants have been given the ‘mystery’ passport stamps
A new border farce may have mistakenly allowed thousands of foreign nationals to live in Britain, the Mail can reveal.
In a startling Home Office bungle, an unknown number of immigrants have been given a passport stamp that appears to grant them the right to live here indefinitely.
One of the Home Office’s own legal representatives has described the stamp as being ‘shrouded in mystery’.
It came to light after an Albanian failed asylum seeker was given the stamp in his travel documents after being stopped and quizzed at the UK border in 2020.
It led to a protracted legal challenge that eventually concluded the man’s claim to remain in the UK was invalid.
However, the case has far wider implications. Immigration judges who scrutinised the case have revealed the Home Office has no idea how many passports have been stamped with the same message, which says the holder has been ‘admitted to the UK’ under European regulations.
Last night the Home Office said the stamp relates to family members of Europeans coming to the UK.
But it was unable to answer questions about when the stamp, which has been used by Border Force officers at ports and airports across the country for years, should legitimately be awarded or why it is being used mistakenly.
Even passport control supervisors ‘wrongly believe’ they have the power to admit foreign nationals in similar circumstances, judges said, raising further serious questions about Britain’s porous borders.
A Home Office insider said: ‘This stamp could have been used thousands of times. We just don’t know the true figure. Just when you think it can’t get any worse, it does. It’s a total farce.
‘There’s an unknown number of foreign nationals in this country who may be using this stamp to live here indefinitely.
‘Most of them will entirely innocently think the stamp grants them those rights.’
Another border security source said they believed the stamp was used ‘every day’ at ports and airports across the country.
Simon Fell MP, a Conservative member of the Commons’ home affairs committee, said he would demand answers from the Home Office. ‘There are serious questions to be asked about the use of this stamp: not least how many individuals have it in their travel documents,’ he added.
‘There is no room for confusion about this – either you have a right to be in the UK, or you don’t.
‘I’ll be urgently asking questions regarding its use and the guidance given to officers. Any ambiguity here is concerning to individuals caught in the middle, but also to our wider border security too.’
Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch UK, which campaigns for tougher border controls, said: ‘We don’t know how many people may have wrongly benefited from this serious systemic failure resulting from shocking unprofessionalism. There’s no excuse for officials, it seems repeatedly, making such far-reaching mistakes.’
A Home Office spokesman said: ‘Border Force’s number one priority is to keep our borders safe and secure, and we will never compromise on this.
‘It is longstanding government policy that we do not comment on operational matters.’
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
