Dental Nurse And Her Assistant's £108K Immigration Scam

Gladys Canal

A dental nurse and her assistant ran a £108,000 immigration scam from a Harley Street surgery - ripping-off hopeful applicants they knew had no hope of obtaining a visa, a jury heard today.

Ressie Macaraeg, 42, and her number two Gladys Canal, 43, (pictured) were unqualified to give immigration advice, which they charged a service fee of £3,500 for, while purporting to assist applicants obtain work visas.

Isleworth Crown Court heard Macaraeg, of West Cromwell Road, Kensington and Canal, of Coleridge Way, Borehamwood pocketed a total of £108,288 they obtained from the applicants.

Prosecutor Mr. Nick Mather told the jury 122 visa applicants, who sought advice and help, had been traced. 

"Of those the vast majority were rejected and the defendants must have known what they were doing was wrong and they knew the consequences of a failed application on their customers.

"That applicant would have to leave the UK voluntarily or if they were caught overstaying they would be deported and be less likely to complain and cause trouble for the defendants because they were no longer in the country."

Half of the £3,500 fee was paid in advance of the Home Office application and was non-refundable is unsuccessful, with the balance due only if a visa was granted.

"They must have known they were sending in applications with no hope of success," added Mr. Maher. "They must have known what they were doing was wrong and they kept doing it.

"Macaraeg was providing Tier Two immigration assistance, which she was not qualified to do, because she was not registered with the relevant authority."

When questioned in December, 2011 by the Immigration Services Commission Macaraeg claimed a man named 'Joseph' completed all the paperwork and clients were not given immigration advice.

"She said she knew nothing about the forging of signatures and that she never did any of the paperwork."

The Home Office visa applicants needed sufficient points to obtain work permits and the prosecution say the defendants continued to charge fees, knowing the applications fell well short.

The surgery was also given as the home address for the applicants.

"It was important for Macaraeg that the letters were sent to her home or office so she could continue the fraud," explained Mr. Maher. "It is a dental surgery, nobody lives there.

"The applicants were spun out over a period of time and they were put off time and time again by staff, including Canal.

"People never received the Home Office letters they were supposed to get until it was too late.

"These defendants were lying to people and taking money from them for services they could not deliver."

Macaraeg has pleaded not guilty to five counts of fraud by dishonestly making false representations between August 1, 2010 and July 30, 2011 and unlawfully providing immigration advice between March 19, 2010 and April 12, last year.

Both defendants have denied five similar charges of fraud by false representation between July 1, 2010 and December 28, 2011.

Both defendants have also pleaded not guilty to transferring £62,668 in criminal property between June 8, 2010 and October 19, 2011 and Macaraeg alone denies possessing £45,620 in criminal property.

Trial continues………….