Immigration fraudster who faked job offers jailed

25-year-old Sagar Joon given three years and five months and given exclusion order

Report from BBC Isle of Man

An immigration fraudster who was part of a wider organised crime group faking job offer letters and certificates of entry into the Isle of Man and UK has been jailed.

Sagar Joon, 25, charged a woman £25,000 - based on a non-existent job offer - between 1 March 2022 and 31 June 2023, in a plot to unlawfully enable her entry into the UK.

The victim, who believed it was a genuine offer and that she was gaining legal entry, had been introduced to Joon through her brother and was told he could help her get a visa.

Jailing the 25-year-old for three years and five months, Deemster Sandeep Kainth said Joon was part of a group that aimed to "manipulate and exploit the immigration system."

The woman, who arrived in the UK in 2022, had been offered a job at a sham company, called Destiny Manpower Consultancy, which was based in Douglas.

'Like hell'

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the woman said she and her husband were living in a one-bedroom apartment, sleeping on the floor and there was no heating for five or six months, which was accommodation provided by another member of the organised crime group.

She said she was initially scared to go to the immigration service or police, for fear that she would be deported, the court heard.

"It was like hell, we had been abandoned in a completely new country and left with nothing," she continued.

Joon was arrested on 17 June 2024, after being stopped at a UK airport and flown back to the Isle of Man.

He initially denied the offences, but pleaded guilty on 21 October to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration to a member state or the UK, describing himself in his basis of plea as "the facilitator".

He denied creating falsified documents for the visa application, which was accepted by the court.

Joon, who is an Indian national, was initially granted a student visa, and was subsequently on a skilled worker visa, which was due to span from 2023 to 2028, the court heard.

A five-year exclusion order has been issued to him banning him from entering the island after his prison sentence, and he will be deported to India once he is released.

Deemster Kainth said Joon had charged the victim "wildly excessive fees, given her false hope and pestered her for money."