Yogesh Kumar planned to use a false passport for fake nuptials

A man who was arrested at Brent registry office minutes before he was due to take part in a sham marriage using a false passport has been sent to jail.

Immigration officers swooped on Yogesh Kumar, a 30-year-old Indian National, as he was due to wed a

22-year-old Hungarian woman on March 4.

They discovered his passport contained a counterfeit visa stamp which made it look like he had the right to live and work in the UK.

It is thought he had used the passport to gain employment as a cleaner.

His ‘bride’ was questioned and later released but Kumar was charged with possessing a false identity document

Last week at Isleworth Crown Court he was jailed for five month after admitting the charge.

A sham marriage or civil partnership typically occurs when a non-European national marries someone from the European Economic Area as a means of attempting to gain long-term residency and the right to work and claim benefits in the UK.

Sarah Burton, assistant director, West London Immigration Enforcement team, Home Office said: “We are working closely with registrars across London to prevent abuse of the marriage system and where we have reason to believe a wedding may not be genuine we will, if necessary, intervene.

“Those who use false identity documents face prosecution and, as in this case, jail.”

Kumar, from Southall, will be deported after he has served his jail term.