Government crackdown on illegal migrants accessing bank accounts

The Home Office announced on 6 April a crackdown on unlawful migrants accessing UK bank accounts. The new measures will see the Home Office share data on disqualified persons via an anti-fraud organisation, which will then be used by banks and building societies to check that they are not providing bank accounts to the named individuals. The closure of bank accounts as a result of this process will only occur when the Home Office has further checked that the individual is still in the UK without permission to remain. The bank or building society will be required to notify the individual of the reasons for refusal or closure of a bank account and a process will be available for concerned individuals to contact the Home Office if they believe that a mistake has been made.