Stranded: Exposing the UK’s immigration scammers – BBC Africa Eye Documentary

#BBCAfricaEye goes undercover to track down rogue ‘relocation agents’ who squeeze thousands of pounds from aspiring migrants with the false promise of jobs in the UK.

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Exploiting the desire of millions of Africans to migrate to Europe, these agents fuel a thriving underground trade in UK work papers. Reporter Olaronke Alo sets out to discover what happens when the promised jobs do not materialise – and exposes pitfalls of the UK immigration system which have allowed the illegal schemes to flourish.

This investigation was conducted by Africa Eye and the BBC’s Global Disinformation Unit.

00:00 Introduction: An underground network of immigration scammers
01:30 Young Nigerians seeking opportunities abroad
02:38 ‘Relocation agents’ overpromise and underdeliver
04:23 A relocation agency with glittery infomercials
06:35 “How my nightmare started”
07:34 The UK care sector
08:33 CoS – Certificate of Sponsorship: “It’s a huge gamble”
09:52 “Just get me care homes…I can make you a millionaire”
13:40 ”They believe me, they trusted me”
14:15 Days turn into months: Praise falls victim to the scam
18:20 A care company ‘sponsors’ a thousand care workers
21:13 Relocation agents targeting African diaspora in UK
22:06 “When he speaks to you, you’d think he is an angel”
22:06 Recruiting the recruiters
25:40 ‘I borrowed money from my family and now we don’t talk’
27:34 Evolving tactics, diversifying the scam
28:00 An undercover operation – Procuring Ugandan workers
29:20 “An average person would need to sell their land for a CoS”
31:30 From care to construction
33:00 Deeper into the undercover operation
36:40 A Payroll Playbook: The scam explained
38:02 In breach of immigration rules?
40:56 What’s next for misled migrants hiding in the shadow economy?
41:40 A migrant worker’s regret: “I foolishly trusted my sponsor”

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Africa Eye brings you original, investigative journalism revealing secrets and rooting out injustice in the world’s most complex and exciting continent. Nothing stays hidden forever.

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