Revealed: How YouTubers are advising migrants on the best way to win charity visas into Britain for free

Daily Mail​

3 hours ago

YouTubers are coaching potential migrants on the best way to win free charity visas into Britain using a little-known scheme, it has been revealed.
The Times reported that YouTube and TikTok videos from several content creators advised people wanting to enter the UK to seek out charity visas, and use them as 'leverage' to bring dependants into the UK.
Charity visas are one type of permission that allowed people from outside the UK to come in and volunteer for up to 12 months.
While migrants are unable to earn money on these visas, online influencers have said that they can still bring dependants to the UK who can work and earn money with the long-term aim of settling.
One YouTuber who described himself as a 'lifestyle and relocation content creator', Kelvin Ossai, said in a video that was viewed 23,000 that dependants can work thanks to a 'catch' in the rules.
He also pointed out that people on charity visas can get significant stipends, as well as money from other sources.
The YouTuber said: 'Even if you're working for them for free, your employer can also give you stipends and pay for your transport.
'They can provide you free accommodation, give you stipends for feeding and all that but it will not be classed as a salary.'
Another YouTuber, Tochi Esther, who has 180,000 subscribers to her channel, interviewed a woman who moved her family to the UK with a charity visa, who said: 'All these charities, they pay you [a] stipend for feeding and transportation. Some will provide you accommodation.
'Luckily for me as a volunteer working in the nursery, I was being paid as a volunteer. You still get paid as a volunteer, so I still get paid somehow. My husband can do any type of work … He works anywhere and as many hours as possible.'
The government has a list of around 1,400 charities that sponsor visas, many of them being churches and other religious organisations.
Ossai in the video: 'Most churches in the UK are charity organisations. Most of them have the license to sponsor you on a charity visa. Don't say I told you this.'
While each applicant, including their partner and any dependants, have to pay a £3119 fee, along with a healthcare surcharge that is normally £1,035 and prove they have at least £1,270 in savings, YouTubers point out that this is far cheaper than other routes into the UK.
A Home Office spokesperson said: 'Under our Plan for Change, our upcoming immigration white paper will set out a comprehensive plan to restore order to our broken immigration system, which includes cracking down on those who look to exploit our visa routes.
'We keep our visa and asylum systems under constant review to ensure they are not open to exploitation and where we detect trends which may undermine our immigration rules, we will not hesitate to take action.'
It comes after the Daily Mail revealed that Brits have been fined an astonishing £30million in just a year and a half for accidentally ferrying illegal immigrants across the channel in their vehicles.
Travellers have been slapped with thousands of pounds in fines under an obscure and highly controversial scheme designed to crack down on the waves of illegal migrants sneaking into the country.
Drivers can be fined up to £10,000 for each illegal migrant found hiding in their vehicle when they return to the UK under the scheme - even if they were unaware of their existence.
They can also be handed a £6,000 fine if they vehicle is not 'adequately secured' - even if no migrant is found.
The penalties have been harshly criticised for punishing law-abiding citizens who report illegal migrants they discover and open themselves up for bumper fines.
While those who don't report the illegal migrants, allowing them to freely leave their vehicles, avoid the prospect of a harsh penalty.
The Daily Mail previously revealed that £25,662,299 in fines had been dished out by the home office under the Clandestine Entrant Civil Penalty Scheme between 1 January 2024 and March this year.
By the end of June that figure had shot up to £30,983,102, with no further successful penalty appeals, figures obtained from a Freedom of Information request show.
That comes despite criticism over the policy penalising right-minded citizens, with Sir Keir Starmer even forced to intervene in one case after significant public backlash.
Although 6,825 fines have been imposed, just one person has been successful in getting their punishment rescinded since the beginning of last year. There have been 140 unsuccessful appeals.