Seven out of eight people accused of immigration offences dating back to 2018 have been found guilty by a jury.

The trial into three couples and two other people opened at Preston Crown Court at the beginning of October, and following four weeks of evidence and several days of jury deliberations, the verdicts were delivered on Wednesday (November 1).

Opening the case last month, Francis McEntee, prosecuting, said Mahmood Hussain, 56, had been responsible for forging documents and providing false information on visa applications, in relation to the employment records of three people who wanted to sponsor their spouses to come and live in the UK from Pakistan.

Mr McEntee said Hussain had forged documents for Qasim Khan, Sakab Asghar and Sidra Ali in respect of their employment, saying they had all worked at his MOT garage in Garden Street, Nelson, on different dates between March 2018 and July 2020.

This information was then used as evidence to prove the defendants were earning the minimum of £18,600 a year required by immigration to allow a spouse to enter the country without becoming a burden to the state.

Their respective spouses are - Maria Khan, Sabeela Arshad, and Taimoor Ali.

An eighth defendant, Sidhra Riaz, 28, Walverden Crescent, Nelson, was also charged with assisting with the unlawful immigration of non-EU citizens, by providing false information on visa application forms.

Mr McEntee said: “This is the systematic and elaborate corruption of the rules surrounding visas to allow people to enter the country, visas that may be issued to foreign nationals who may have a familial relationship with someone in the UK, which will allow them to reside with their husband or wife in this country.

“At the heart of this case is Mahmood Hussain, who, over a number of years, provided a bespoke service of garnering a full range of documents for those family life visas.

“He would facilitate the documents which would allow fraudulent applications to be made.”

Mr McEntee said the three individuals (Qasim Khan, Sakab Asghar and Sidra Ali) would “call upon Hussain to create a false history of employment and earnings from his garage in Nelson".

He added: “He would then provide false evidence of residency, banking and employment details.”

Evidence from HM Revenue and Customs showed 14 people were employed by Hussain at his MOT garage – none of whom were any of the defendants - except for Qasim Khan, who worked there long before any visa application was made in respect of his wife.

Official HMRC records for Qasim Khan, Sakab Asghar and Sidra Ali, also revealed none of them had been employed by the MOT garage at the time the visa applications were made.

Mr McEntee said the jury would ultimately have to decide whether Hussain, Qasim Khan, Sakab Asghar and Sidra Ali were guilty of the charge of assisting with the unlawful immigration of non-EU citizens, by providing false information on visa application forms.

Only if they were found guilty could the jury then consider whether their spouses, Maria Khan, Sabeela Arshad, and Taimoor Ali were guilty of obtaining leave to enter or remain in the UK by deception, in that they knew about the falsification of the documents and information.

Those convicted after trial are:

  • Mahmood Hussain, 56, Chapel House Road, Nelson – guilty of two counts of assisting with the unlawful immigration of non-EU citizens, by providing false information on visa application forms
  • Maria Khan, 27, Leytonstone, London – guilty of obtaining leave to enter or remain in the UK by deception
  • Qasim Khan, 31, Percy Street, Nelson - guilty of assisting with the unlawful immigration of non-EU citizens, by providing false information on visa application forms
  • Taimoor Ali, 29, Percy Street, Nelson - guilty of obtaining leave to enter or remain in the UK by deception
  • Sidra Ali, 32, of Percy Street, Nelson - guilty of assisting with the unlawful immigration of non-EU citizens, by providing false information on visa application forms
  • Sidhra Riaz, 28, Walverden Crescent, Nelson – guilty of assisting with the unlawful immigration of non-EU citizens, by providing false information on visa application forms
  • Sakab Asghar, 34, Aikman Place, Burnley - guilty of assisting with the unlawful immigration of non-EU citizens, by providing false information on visa application forms

Asghar’s wife, Sabeela Arshad, 30, Aikman Place, Burnley, was found not guilty of obtaining leave to enter or remain in the UK by deception

Sentencing will take place at a later date.