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UK expands visa fraud prevention drive to Tamil Nadu
The initiative was unveiled by UK Indo-Pacific Minister Seema Malhotra during her first official visit to India this week.
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Malvika Choudhary - Fri, 21, Nov 2025
- 13:14 EST
- 24
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Representative Image / Image- Pixabay
The United Kingdom launched a visa fraud prevention campaign in Tamil Nadu, expanding efforts to curb illegal migration and protect Indian nationals from fraudulent agents.
The initiative, unveiled by UK Indo-Pacific Minister Seema Malhotra during her visit to India this week, builds on a pilot campaign underway in Punjab.
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The Tamil Nadu phase will include targeted outreach in high-risk districts and the rollout of a Tamil-language WhatsApp chatbot to help applicants verify legitimate visa processes and spot scams.
Officials described the campaign as part of the UK–India Vision 2035 framework, which outlines joint efforts to counter criminal networks and reduce irregular migration.
Malhotra said the UK was acting “to stem the flow of illegal migration at its source—using campaigns targeted at hotspot areas to prevent visa fraud, keeping people safe while securing our borders.”
The Punjab pilot, launched earlier in 2024, used digital tools, village-level meetings and a Punjabi-language WhatsApp chatbot to warn residents about fake work-visa offers. Local authorities and community organizations were involved in spreading information on safe migration routes and identifying fraudulent agents.
The FCDO has cited the strong response in Punjab as evidence of the need to expand the model to other states such as Tamil Nadu, where many prospective migrants remain vulnerable to illegal recruitment networks.
The expansion comes as Britain strengthens its broader strategy to restrict illegal migration. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has recently introduced measures to reduce asylum arrivals and impose sanctions on individuals involved in trafficking vulnerable people.
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