The Hidden World of Britain's Immigrants

.

This programme contains some strong language

This is the story of immigrants.

Legal...

and illegal.

SINGING

They came to Britain because it offered hope of a better life.

But for some, the reality proved very different.

This is my home.

SHE LAUGHS

Oh, dear God. It's wretched.

We meet people fighting to stay in the country.

Thanks, God, I'm happy. I'm happy! I feel like jumping!

And as the number of illegals exceeds 600,000...

we meet a group of immigrants who shouldn't be here at all.

A lot of people might say, "Who does this guy think he is?

-"He comes to this country, he steals from us."

-Yes.

We discover critics of the illegals are not confined to white Britain.

I'm not saying that they are bad people.

They have a lot of contribution to make to their own countries,

and they ought to get there as soon as possible.

We see what happens when the authorities promise to take action,

and find that even when illegals want to leave the country,

it can sometimes be surprisingly difficult.

The same week as he got his travel document,

the Home Office cancelled his application to go back.

As the row over immigration escalates,

with Romanians and Bulgarians free to work here

from the beginning of this year...

..we offer a revealing insight into the lives of some immigrants

who inhabit a hidden world -

of poverty, illegality...

..and occasionally, hope.

This is Ilford, in the borough of Redbridge, in East London.

We chose to come here

because it's one of the most diverse places in Britain.

Thriving immigrant communities have been here for decades.

THEY CHANT

This is the Dasara festival,

an important event in the Indian Hindu calendar

that celebrates the victory of good over evil.

Its chief organiser here is Kamal Voruganti.

He came here from India in 2002 on a student visa

and, within three years, he opened his own solicitors' firm,

serving the community in Ilford.

What has this country given to you?

I would say respect, and a good life.

A lot more because people respect you

if you are a solicitor,

they trust you.

After five years successfully running his law firm,

in 2012, Kamal was eligible to become a full British citizen.

Let's go and play.

During that time, Kamal's wife joined him from India

and they had a son.

How do you play it?

Is this now your home? Are you going to bring your son up as British?

Yes, he himself is a British citizen now. He was born here

and I want him to... if God gives me a power,

I want to make him Prime Minister of this country.

Whilst Kamal represents successful legal immigration from India,

further down the road in Ilford, we've discovered a different story.

It's illegal immigrants,

a group whose presence causes most public concern.

We wanted to gain access to their underworld.

So we arranged to meet Shanki.

He came from India's Punjab eight years ago, seeking his fortune.

-You're Shanki?

-Yeah.

-How are you, man?

-Good.

The bells are ringing at the moment we meet.

You thought you were going to come here and earn nearly £200,000?

Yeah.

Shanki got into Britain on a tourist visa

and vanished when it expired.

UK immigration didn't pick this up

because data isn't gathered on who leaves the country.

-When you came here, you had a tourist visa.

-Yeah.

So you lied to get into this country, didn't you?

Yeah, I know.

This graveyard is one of his hangouts.

Illegals like Shanki and these men are called fugees,

Indian for "footsoldiers".

Harish says he was trafficked into Britain on a lorry via Belgium.

He wanted to create a better future for his children back in India.

But Harish now sleeps rough, near Ilford's town centre.

He's out of work and isn't entitled to any benefits.

What do you think is going to happen to you?

The guys, I have so many guys, no work, I know.

We're going to spend the next few months

following the lives of these men.

OK, ladies and gentlemen!

-Yes?

-Come close.

Right. The boxes, what must you not do?

-Scatter them.

-Please don't scatter the boxes, OK?

It's only me and Sophie in today, so we're very short-staffed,

but we'll see you as quickly as possible. Come in.

For Ilford's struggling immigrants, there is a lifeline -

this charity, RAMFEL, the Refugee and Migrant Forum of East London.

No, not today.

-I'm late.

-Yeah, I know you're late.

Harish has come for a change of clothes.

-What language?

-Punjabi, he can speak Punjabi.

-He's just drunk...

-How are you?

..and the client's a bit unsettled about it, so will you watch him?

-Yeah.

-And then once he's finished...

-That's fine.

-Cheers.

-Aseem, make sure he doesn't go out the fire exit, yeah?

-OK.

More than half the rough sleepers in London are now foreign nationals.

Sorry, my brother. I've changed my clothes.

Because they're very dirty, man.

I'm sorry, brother.

-I can only give you one pasta.

-Yeah.

One... No, I can't. Just one.

Chief Executive Rita Chadha is a figure of hope for immigrants...

Next week. OK?

..providing them not just with the basics, but also,

professional services

to help them sort out their immigration status.

The people that we see increasingly

are the most vulnerable and the most frustrated as well.

They've reached the end of the line in lots of respects.

I wouldn't say we're their last hope,

but we're kind of their last definite stand before they have to make

a final decision about whether they stay or go back home.

You set off one fire alarm, you set off one thing,

you upset one staff member or client here,

I'm going to chuck you out completely. Do I make myself clear?

Right, well, look at this and everything. You'll have to come in...

Rita is British-born,

the child of immigrants who came here in the '60s.

Why didn't you do this before?

'I actually see myself as an outsider.'

-Outsider, why? In what way?

-Because I'm British Asian female

and my gender and my race will always get in the way.

That's not to say I've got a chip on my shoulder,

but I can understand...

if I'm discriminated against,

and I can take care of myself and I was born in London,

then I can definitely understand how the people that I work with

are in a much, much worse position.

Some of her clients are in long battles

with the immigration authorities to be allowed to stay here.

Have a seat.

For Christine, from Kenya, it's been seven years.

-How are you?

-I'm fine.

-I've got good news.

-Oh, thank you.

-As I told you before...

-Yes, please.

-..you'll get further discretionary leave to remain...

-Yes.

..until nine of August, 2016.

Thanks, God.

Getting it is hard time, it's tough, it's a rough road.

You don't sleep every time, you just say,

you wake up, you're like, "What will happen? What will happen?"

Thanks, God, I'm happy. I'm happy! I feel like jumping!

Bye!

This is great to me. I can work freely in England.

Thank you so much!

SHE LAUGHS

Bye!

Rita's organisation faces its own battle for survival.

There's a current threat to its funding.

When Britain's economy was booming, there was plenty of work for Shanki.

He says he was part of an army of immigrants

working mostly in construction.

Shanki says he was employed to work on buildings

in the financial district in London.

His illegal status meant working cash in hand.

He destroyed his passport, in case he was picked up by Immigration.

But he says the lack of documents didn't stop British employers

recruiting him as a source of cheap labour,

though it's difficult to check what he told us.

The Government now takes a tougher stance.

Employers face heavy fines for hiring illegal workers.

Shanki says the crackdown is hitting him hard.

With no work, he's living rough.

He and his group of illegals

are hiding out in this derelict house in Ilford.

Here they come now. Hey, Shanki, how are you doing?

-You all right, man?

-Yeah.

-You OK? Is everything all right?

-Yeah.

-Are we OK to go?

-Yeah.

They have agreed to show us their secret haunt.

I'm going to take a slightly more orthodox route up.

I don't even know if I'm going to make it,

because it's quite a considerable height, but I'll give it a go.

OK...

Watch for nails

and bits of broken glass here.

Take care coming through here.

There are broken floorboards.

I have to say, guys, it doesn't smell too good, huh?

Yeah...

Yeah.

-You don't notice the smell?

-Yeah.

There's all these flies everywhere as well.

Now... Nothing.

-It's a hard place to live.

-Yeah, yes.

I'm not often speechless in places, but this is really...

This is as bad as it gets, huh?

Buckingham Palace for you?

-Yes.

-Can I just go and have a look around the rest?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Whoa.

-Be careful there.

-Yeah.

Oh, wow, the banister's gone here.

It's a rubbish dump down there?

Nobody goes downstairs? So what do you do with the downstairs?

Hang on, you just said...

new people come and they shit down there?

-So you stand here and you urinate over there?

-Yeah.

And people defecate over there as well?

This was the toilet.

This is full of flies as well.

Oh, dear God! It's wretched. There's no other word for it.

You know when you wake up here in the morning

and you kind of realise where you are, what goes through your mind?

Best to move fairly gingerly around here.

I'm on my way back out now.

The thing that...

..Shanki said to me in there about,

you know, to him, it's like Buckingham Palace...

..I guess it is, if the option is sleeping on the streets.

They have fallen so far from the path of normal life,

it's almost impossible to imagine

what the way back for them is going to be.

As it becomes more difficult for illegal immigrants to get work,

some are trying to get out of Britain.

In Ilford, it's Rita who they turn to for advice.

This is part of the British dream,

and this is the bit where a lot of these guys end up

because there is no other option for them.

Satpal is a former Indian soldier.

He's been illegal for eight years and laboured in construction.

But rather than stay in these conditions without work,

he's decided to return to his wife and children.

His friend Harbans, a former Indian police officer,

worked illegally too, until he was badly injured on a building site.

I think it's degrading. I think it's inhuman.

I think it's embarrassing, both to hear, to watch,

to see somebody else go through like this

and know there's absolutely nothing you can do.

All you can do is try and lift them out of this situation.

Satpal is asking the Home Office to admit him to its scheme

which pays for illegal immigrants to quit Britain.

In 2012, the Individual Voluntary Assisted Returns process

helped nearly 1,200 to leave.

But it's difficult for Satpal

to understand why he can't just get on a flight.

Eight months after he volunteered to leave,

he is frustrated by bureaucracy, although some of his problems

are caused because he's missed a number of appointments.

RITA SPEAKS SATPAL'S LANGUAGE

Rita is helping Satpal with his case, but he's lost his passport

and it's a government requirement for the scheme.

There is a deadline to submit one,

or his application will be cancelled.

But the Indian High Commission won't issue a replacement

until they've checked the evidence he is an Indian national.

It's a stressful time,

especially since everything else has gone wrong for him.

He's been struggling to find work.

He's been exploited quite a few times

by builders who have taken him on for a day's cheap labour

and then not paid him anything at all.

He's been injured recently as well, working on a building site,

so basically, he's come to the end of his time here.

Even though Satpal is suffering, he says he hasn't broken the law.

How important was it for you not to get drawn into crime?

'Events at home are weighing heavily on Satpal.'

'His Indian army pension should take care of his family,

'but only if he can get home in time to activate it.'

After months with little progress, all he can do is wait

and hope for news of a breakthrough.

He relies on odd jobs for any cash to spend on alcohol.

If you're here and you're destitute,

dependent on drink or drugs, or frantically trying to get work

that isn't there, you'd be much better off going home, wouldn't you?

Yes, you would, but it has to be your decision,

a decision that you make willingly.

Why does it have to be your decision?

-Because...

-If you're in a country illegally.

-Because...

If you're in a country illegally, you may still have a reason why

you came over here. It may be economic. What are you going back to?

To people, for example, living here in Ilford,

-to them, it's a nightmare.

-To them, it is, but they need to look at it

in the broader context. That is a very, very small problem...

But you're not going to look at things in the broader context

-when it's in front of you, are you?

-Then you've got to understand

the reality behind that situation that you're seeing.

You've got to understand what's forced that person into that situation.

Satpal has told his family how desperate he is

to clear the obstacles and get home,

but he and Harbans have kept secret just how bad things are.

It's not just illegals who face difficulties.

-Morning, guys.

-Good morning.

These Eastern Europeans have come to Rita's charity RAMFEL for help.

Since 2004, when the European Union opened its doors to them,

hundreds of thousands have immigrated to Britain.

-Eggs, yeah.

-And you're doing one thing...

Lithuanians Rolandas and Oksana have been here legally since 2011.

They say the chance for work attracted them to Britain

and they used an agent who promised he could help them.

Rolandas and Oksana are homeless.

-OK?

-Yes, OK.

-My name is Rita...

They've come to ask Rita for help to get somewhere to live,

but the checks reveal a problem.

Can I have a look at your documents?

You've been in trouble with the police?

OK, when did you get released?

OKSANA TRANSLATES

-Thank you.

-Bye-bye.

Both were heroin addicts with criminal convictions,

Rolandas for burglary, Oksana for shoplifting.

When we met them, they were four months clean

and said they weren't involved in ASB - antisocial behaviour.

But with their backgrounds, they struggle to find accommodation.

When we look for housing for him,

they're going to identify the fact that he's had ASB issues in the past

and so from that point of view, they may decline

some types of housing and landlords may frown upon that.

They have no source of income.

Rolandas is entitled to benefits as an EU citizen and is signing on

at the job centre, but he's waiting for his money to come through.

Oksana is waiting for a new passport

so she can get a national insurance number and apply for benefits.

For now, home is Manor Park, near Ilford.

They've been here for two weeks,

though park authorities don't allow rough sleepers.

-This is my home!

-THEY LAUGH

# I once was lost

# But now I'm found

# Was blind... #

For food, Rolandas and Oksana rely on charity

from organisations like this church group.

This project helps Ilford's homeless, wherever they come from.

When we encountered Shanki again,

we found him trying to steal coins from shopping trolleys.

He's desperate for money because he's hooked on heroin

and crack cocaine.

You know, I wondered, after speaking to you the first time,

how you kind of look after yourself physically?

-It's all over your...

-Yeah.

I see.

This can kill you.

This drug taking.

Shanki didn't blame anybody else for his situation.

He clearly felt embarrassed he'd come to Britain

and ended up a failure.

There were moments - many - when he swore to give up drugs.

But Shanki kept going back to his old ways.

To feed their addiction, Shanki and the others are stealing every day.

They're notorious to businesses in Ilford.

You started shoplifting. How does that work? Where do you go?

-And you steal and then sell what you steal?

-Sell.

How much do you make?

More than £150 a day?

And you spend all that on...

It is difficult under the current system to deal with Shanki

and his associates.

He can be deported if he gets a prison sentence of 24 months or more

but so far his offences have drawn shorter terms.

How many times have you been to court because of shoplifting?

Nine times?

So, let me get this right.

Nine convictions for shoplifting and three spells in prison?

Yeah.

What's happening to you at the moment?

Do you have anything over you, a conviction?

And are you doing the community service?

Really?

Shanki, I could be wrong, but something about the look

on your face tells me... maybe you are, maybe you're not.

Am I right?

But even if the authorities attempt to deport Shanki,

like many fugees, he's destroyed his passport,

so they can't find out which country to send him back to.

A lot of people listening to you, watching you,

might say, "Who does this guy think he is?

-"He comes to this country, he steals from us."

-Yes.

You could understand how they'd be furious.

These crimes hurt the community.

Shanki's squat-mate Lucky

was arrested shortly after we met him here, for a spate of thefts,

including burgling a local business, Noori Foods.

The owner, Mr Nasim, is the child of British citizens

but grew up in Pakistan.

He came here in 1995 and built this business.

He represents immigrant success,

previous generations who've settled here and are doing well.

But he's been hit by a series of robberies,

including the one committed by Lucky.

-Hello.

-How are you? Nice to see you.

You're open how many days a week?

Seven days a week? OK, so you work hard.

I want to know from you,

what impact do the break-ins have on your business?

Lucky pleaded guilty and told us he was sorry for robbing Mr Nasim.

Do you accept that kind of sorry?

Lucky spent eight weeks on remand in prison for the robbery.

He was released, providing he agreed to undergo drugs assessments

and appear in court three weeks later to be sentenced.

Despite his promise to the court,

he liked being on the outside so much he went on the run.

Fugees like Lucky and Shanki live on the margins of

a thriving Sikh community in Ilford.

At this gurdwara temple they dispense charity to the poor,

including the illegals.

Harmander Singh is an administrator of the temple and a magistrate.

His father and grandfather fought for Britain in the World Wars.

The Sikhs in particular

were part and parcel of the First and Second World Wars

in making Britain what it is today.

You know, we've done our bit, we've contributed,

we've made the ultimate sacrifices.

Britain satisfied his family's desire for prosperity and security.

This is my country.

I need a visa to go somewhere else, I don't need a visa to be here.

Even though illegals are not turned away,

there's resentment that the antisocial behaviour of some

is harming the established Sikh community.

Your identity and your presence here

-you feel is being threatened by these new arrivals?

-It is.

Absolutely.

And I'm not saying that they're bad people.

It's the fact that the system has allowed these individuals

to be brought over, trafficked under false pretences, with no going back.

But do you feel they should go back?

I feel that they have a lot of contribution to make to their own countries

and they ought to get there as soon as possible.

'As the interview ended, Shanki turned up.

'It was an opportunity to find out what they'd say to each other.'

-If he wants to go back home, there's a process to be followed.

-Yeah.

-And he should do that.

You know, this isn't your home. It's temporarily you're here...

So, even as bad as things are here, it's still better than India,

seems to be what he's saying.

In summer 2013, the government ratcheted up

its campaign to find illegals.

Ad vans were sent to London warning arrests would follow

if they didn't turn themselves in.

Only 11 people left the UK as a result.

But even if illegals want out, there are obstacles.

The voluntary return system can prove bureaucratic

and requires applicants to keep a number of appointments.

Satpal has missed some because of his drinking.

And after the eight-month wait there's bad news.

His new passport is through, but too late.

The Home Office deadline hasn't been met. Rita is furious.

The same week as he got his travel document,

and that's been a lot of bureaucracy with the Indian High Commission,

the Home Office cancelled his application to go back,

so what that now means is he had a provisional flight booked,

he was all ready to go, and we've got to go back to the beginning

so the Home Office can reassess his application to go home.

To reapply, Satpal must be fingerprinted again

by Home Office officials in central London.

In India, the delays are straining family relations.

He's just told me now as well

that his wife doesn't believe he's even trying to come back,

so he wants me to talk to his wife to explain some of the difficulties.

Rita is going with them

to make sure they don't upset other Tube travellers.

Sometimes it is quite noticeable, especially

if people have got alcohol issues as well, and then they're a bit lairy.

Luckily they're quite calm and they blend in like everybody else,

so they wouldn't stand out as an illegal immigrant at the moment.

It's Harbans's first time to apply to leave.

But for Satpal this is all too familiar.

Basically we're back in a situation again where actually

he's now waiting for another answer

and he's waiting for another decision on when he can fly out.

If the system works,

Satpal will have to wait about another month before he can leave.

After four weeks in their makeshift shelter,

Rolandas and Oksana have been evicted

by Manor Park authorities and warned not to come back.

They don't know where they're going to sleep tonight

but there's a slim hope Rita might be able to help them.

We have found you two somewhere to live tonight, OK? Right?

This may be a permanent place,

right, but you have to follow exactly what we say.

Just, you know... Just...

Landlord Steve Singh is one of the few

willing to work with clients that Rita refers.

Come.

He's giving them a room in a shared house with other EU immigrants.

OK, this is your room.

He'll get paid rent from the benefits they receive.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes, yes.

-Happy with the room?

-Very!

Very happy.

I will tell you again, I won't tolerate any drug abuse.

-Yeah, don't worry about that.

-Any drugs, any alcohol.

-All right.

They've stayed off drugs,

no easy achievement for heroin addicts.

But they're dependent on the benefits Rolandas receives.

-So how are you?

-Yeah, it's all right.

-Settling in OK?

-Yes.

How much do you get? How much do you have to live on at the moment?

Back in your home country,

what benefits are available there? Are there any?

Do you understand when some British people who hear you say that,

that the benefits are better here and you wouldn't get the same in Lithuania,

they're pretty furious, really,

that you're here... on the British taxpayers' expense?

It's late summer and back at Shanki's hideout, he's been evicted.

"Secured by Sitex Orbis property and people protection 24/7.

"24/7 response centre."

Shanki's skin condition was also worsening.

All right? Take a seat for us.

We told Rita, and she offered an appointment with a medic at RAMFEL.

-Have a seat, please.

-Cheers.

I never saw like this, ever.

Hello, good afternoon. My name is Nihad, I'm calling from RAMFEL.

I actually have a client which is your client as well

and he want appointment, actually, as soon, please.

You're in luck.

Nihad was able to get Shanki an appointment the next day with a GP.

He has been registered as a patient before

but hadn't attended for several years.

Lucky you are. OK?

The government is examining the current situation

where some illegal immigrants

have been getting free treatment on the NHS.

Your doctor referred you to a specialist back in 2010, didn't he?

-Did the specialist ever discuss with you any light therapy?

-No.

But Shanki's condition isn't helped by the fact

that he's back sleeping in the open.

But time is running out for Shanki.

Just days later, he and his associates

went on one of their biggest jobs - Marks & Spencer's.

They robbed £1,500 worth of clothes but were caught red-handed.

All were given jail sentences.

For his fourth prison term, Shanki got 16 weeks.

It might have been less if he'd entered a drugs rehab programme.

He refused.

SHE SPEAKS SAPTAL'S LANGUAGE

It's a month since Satpal's latest application to go home

and it's good news. He has the clearance he needs.

Overall, he's waited nine months.

It has been a long and tortuous process.

I still don't think I'll believe it

until he's on the plane and he gets to the other side.

The travel day has arrived.

WOMAN SINGS

After eight years, Satpal will get to see his family.

Before he leaves Ilford,

he wants to offer prayers at the temple which helped him often.

But his departure is bittersweet for Rita.

I'm happy for him on an individual and human basis,

I'm sad because on a personal level, I feel a bit of a failure.

And I feel that we should have done more to make his stay in the UK

a bit more comfortable.

And it's sad to see somebody

just have to abandon their dreams like this.

As immigration authorities struggle to answer the political clamour

for tougher action, on the frontline,

Rita herself is in a fight to keep open her lifeline

for Ilford's struggling immigrants.

Her funding runs out in a few months.

We're not a popular cause, we get as much criticism as we get praise.

I stand by everything this organisation's done,

and I'm proud of what we've achieved. I don't know what the future brings.

I hope we're still alive come the next year. If we're not,

then we'll close with some dignity and, hopefully,

we can still find a way of helping people who really need it.

After several weeks in their shared house,

Rolandas' wife Oksana's jobseeker's benefit

has come through.

But because of information they've given to the authorities,

they're receiving £32 a week

more than they are entitled to.

When you claim benefits,

do you claim as a married couple,

or do you claim as single people?

-Single.

-But you're married.

Are you going to tell the authorities?

Because, you know, you're married

and you're claiming as single people, which is...

it's cheating the system.

And I think they'd take a dim view of that.

So you are going to tell them?

When we asked them weeks later, they still haven't come clean.

Rolandas has passed a safety exam to work in construction.

But Oksana turned down a job offer as a hotel cleaner,

she says because of problems with her leg,

caused when she was a drug user.

For Satpal's family, it is the end of eight years

without a husband, a father.

Satpal has come with just the clothes he carries.

He will rely on his army pension now,

his British dream well and truly behind him.

For Satpal, it's the first morning to try to rebuild a life

that has been on hold.

His daughter, Suprit, was just five years old when he left.

For a family that dared to dream of riches in a foreign land,

it has cost them dearly and will continue to,

according to Satpal's wife.

Two months after Satpal left,

there is good news for his old friend Harbans too.

Rita has seen him through his Home Office application.

He is leaving for India today.

Some of the guys gave me a little bit of food...

This man's life on the streets continues.

Sleeping rough, drinking hard.

As for Lucky, he was recaptured,

but hasn't been given more jail time.

Instead, the court put him on probation

and a drugs rehab programme.

Shanki has served half of his 16-week sentence.

It's the day he's due to be released.

We've just had a phone call from inside the prison from Shanki,

saying, "I'm not coming out."

Why? It's the immigration authorities.

They have asked for his file

and they want to check his immigration status.

So is this the moment that begins the process of Shanki's deportation

from Britain? It's quite possible.

I have to say, however, knowing Shanki's ability

to stay one step ahead of the system, seven steps ahead,

I wouldn't bet on it.

Shanki told us later

he was working as a cleaner in the prison for £6 a week,

and with legal aid, he's applying to stay here on humanitarian grounds.

The stories of the people we followed show how difficult

the authorities find it to deport illegals,

despite the tough talk of crackdowns.

But also, just how bleak life can be for immigrants

battling to survive in a hidden world of poverty,

crime and broken dreams.