Bogus Professor Convicted of Providing Illegal Immigration Advice
08/08/2008
A BOGUS professor was convicted on Friday (Aug 8) for illegally providing immigration advice in exchange for thousands of pounds.
Max Kingsley, 59, was convicted at Southwark Crown Court for illegally providing immigration advice and services in exchange for money.
Kingsley, from Margate, Kent, trading under the name of National and International Law & Advisory Co Ltd, passed himself off as a professor and gave immigration advice while not regulated. The majority of his work was carried out from his business premises at 412A Edgware Road, London but he also registered premises at 35 Bridge Street, Hitichin, Hertfordshire.
Kingsley, 59, was not registered with the OISC to provide immigration advice. His application for registration, made in April 2001 was refused as the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner was not satisfied that he was fit and competent to provide immigration advice.
Regardless of this Kingsley continued to provide immigration advice illegally in exchange for thousands of pounds between April 2001 and February 2007. His victims were often left out of pocket and with their immigration status in jeopardy due to his poor handling of their cases.
One of his victims, from Lithuania paid over £5,000 in personal savings to Kingsley to lodge an appeal against a refused marriage application. The case was eventually resolved without the need for an appeal when Lithuania joined the European Union on 1 May 2004, but Kingsley refused to return any of the money to the victim.
The Immigration Services Commissioner, Suzanne McCarthy, said:
"Preying on vulnerable members of the community and providing hope where no hope existed, Kingsley charged exorbitant fees to his victims, leaving them with nothing to show other than a string of debts.
"Kingsley was previously refused entry to my regulatory scheme but he continued to operate outside the law. My office will continue to prosecute those like Kingsley who illegally provide immigration advice or services."
Kingsley, who was born in Iran, will be sentenced on 11 September, 2008 at Southwark Crown Court.
In the UK, immigration advisers must be regulated by the OISC, unless they are exempted by a ministerial order or belong to a 'designated professional body', for example, the Law Society.
The OISC currently regulates almost 4,000 advisers across the UK and provides a list of those allowed to give advice on its website - www.oisc.gov.uk
Notes to the Editor:
- The Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) is an independent public body set up under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
- It is a criminal offence to give immigration advice or services in the UK unless you are regulated by the OISC, a regulated solicitor, barrister or legal executive or European equivalent or exempted by Ministerial Order.
- For more information contact David Ward, Head of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement at the OISC, on 020 7211 1609.
