Bigger passenger fines
AIRLINES and ferry companies face a more than three-fold increase in the penalty for bringing passengers without the right papers into Britain.
The charge will rise from £2,000 to £7,000 for each passenger without proper documentation under Home Office proposals – the first increase in more than 20 years.
Around 4,100 passengers arrived in the UK in 2011 without the correct documents, such as visas, resulting in some 1,600 penalties being handed out to transport carriers.The higher charge would bring in an extra £63.4m for HM Treasury over 10 years, as well as reduce asylum costs to Britain by around £5.1m over the same period.
Immigration Minister Mark Harper said: “The cost to the UK of undocumented passengers can be high as many go on to claim asylum.”