Albanians used false papers for settlement scheme

Three Albanian men have admitted submitting false documents to secure residence rights under the EU settlement scheme.

Sina Ervin, 35, Kadri Sinamati, 28, and Kastriot Hoxha, 32, pleaded guilty to immigration offences at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday.

The men, who all live at addresses in South Yorkshire, were arrested as part of Home Office raids across England and Wales in June.

They were remanded in custody and will appear at the same court for sentencing on 10 September.

Hoxha, of Primrose Place, Doncaster, pleaded guilty to trying to obtain leave to enter or remain in the UK by submitting a dishonest EU Settlement Scheme application and fraud by submitting false information about his marriage history.

He also admitted to possessing cannabis with intent to supply.

Hoxha denied having a fake Cypriot marriage certificate and a false decree absolute, which is a final legal document that officially ends a marriage or civil partnership.

He also pleaded not guilty to submitting a fake utility bill to the Home Office and denied a further count of submitting false information to the Home Office as part of an EU Settlement Scheme application.

Sinamati, of Dunford Drive, Doncaster, and Ervin, of Sandstone Avenue, Sheffield, both pleaded guilty to submitting false information to the Home Office as part of an EU settlement application.

They pleaded not guilty to possessing a false Cypriot marriage certificate, and submitting a fake Virgin Media bill as part of an EU Settlement Scheme application.

The prosecution accepted the pleas entered by the men on Friday and agreed not to pursue a trial of the denied offences.

The EU Settlement Scheme allows EU, other European Economic Area and Swiss citizens who were residents in the UK by 31 December 2020, and their family members, to apply for pre-settled status.

After five years' continued residence they can apply for settled status.

Defence barrister Dermot Hughes told the court that Hoxha was the father of a child, who had been born very recently.

Similarly, he said, Sinamati had a child who was born in the UK to his long-term partner and was expecting his second child in November.

Sinamati had previous convictions for road traffic offences and his immigration status was "yet to be determined", Hughes said.

Two other men were also arrested and charged as part of the dawn raids in June.

Denis Hani, 30 and of Cheviot Road, Liverpool, pleaded guilty to two fraud offences and one immigration offence at Liverpool Crown Court.

He was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment on 16 July.

A fifth man pleaded not guilty to three fraud offences and two immigration offences and will go on trial at Leeds Crown Court in November.

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