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Shadowy black-market middlemen are selling fake jobs with payroll documents showing migrants earn £55,000 a year, when no such roles exist. The breathtaking bogus jobs like this are being offered by dodgy visa agent firms in Britain, hoping to cash in on the illegal migration market.

The fake visa agents offer migrants a chance to have their stay in the UK sponsored by helping them pretend they have a job, complete with an imposter CV, bank records and payroll documents. The illegal entrants are even coached on what their non-existent roles entail so they can blag their way if anyone questions them.

According to an undercover investigation by The Times, fake visa agents profit from the invisible jobs by charging the illegal migrant a monthly fee, as well as shelling out anywhere up to £20,000 up front. Once in their fake role, the migrant can't work legally, and if they're caught, they could be deported or banned from entering the UK.

Meanwhile, the visa agent still gets paid. One of the unscrupulous operators told the Times: "We do not have any jobs ... We only sell you the CoS [certificate of sponsorship]. That's it."

An investigation by the newspaper found multiple agents operating across the UK. The Times found one agent bragging it was a "two-minute job" to set up the fake jobs which can include occupations such as office jobs, IT, and marketing roles, as well as posts such as nursing assistants, bricklayers and graphic designers.

The Home Office told the paper it would do "whatever it takes" to secure the nation's borders and that so-called skilled worker visa refusals and revocations were at "record levels" with 1,948 employers stripped of their sponsor licences in the year to June 2025. In response to the findings of the investigation, the department said: "We are investigating this illegal activity and it will not be tolerated."

Chris Philp, the Conservative shadow home secretary, said the findings by the Times were "shocking" and said it showed the government had "no control" on immigration. He added: "Shabana Mahmood [the home secretary] must urgently grip this problem."

Max Wilkinson, Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, said: "Criminal gangs are profiting and rules are being flagrantly disregarded. The government urgently needs to fix the system."

According to the Gov.uk website to get a licence as an employer "you cannot have any unspent criminal convictions for immigration offences or certain other crimes, such as fraud or money laundering".

It said employers needed "appropriate systems in place to monitor sponsored workers and people to manage sponsorship in your business", adding: "UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) will review your application form and supporting documents. They may visit your business to make sure you're trustworthy and capable of carrying out your duties."