The family have been in the UK illegally for 13 months
A Sikh family are accused of faking Afghan nationality to illegally claim asylum in the UK.
Gurbakhsh Singh, his wife Ardet Kaur, their son Guljeet Singh and his wife Kawaljeet Kaur are accused of falsely claiming to be from Afghanistan when they arrived at Heathrow Airport just before Christmas 2024.
But earlier that year, they were accused of twice having failed to obtain visas to come to Britain as Indian citizens.
They currently live in a £575,000 house in Hemel Hempstead.
The four-bedroom property has an open plan ground floor and is within half a mile of schools and close to Hemel Hempstead’s amenities and railway station.
Until recently, they were housed at Wembley’s Holiday Inn, which has been completely booked by the UK Government and is currently not accepting any customers.
According to Home Office figures, it costs the UK around £164,000 a year to house a family of four asylum seekers.
The family have been in the UK illegally for 13 months and their trial will now take place in 2026.
They appeared at Croydon Crown Court for the first time but the hearing was adjourned because no Punjabi or Dari Afghan interpreters had been booked.
Defending the family, Charles Drinnan said:
“We have not had a fully effective conference, but all four are very robust that they are not guilty.
“There will also be an application at the next hearing for a potential reporting restriction in this case.”
They were bailed until March 13, 2025, so they can enter their pleas with the help of interpreters.
It is alleged the family previously declared themselves to be Indian nationals and provided evidence in two failed visa applications three months earlier.
They are also charged with making a false statement or representation at Heathrow Airport, namely requesting asylum as Afghan citizens when Home Office records confirm they are Indian nationals, contrary to the Immigration and Asylum Act.
All four are also charged with knowingly entering the UK without leave, contrary to the Immigration Act.
Judge Michael Evans KC told the family:
“I know you all don’t understand this.
“You are not going to be arraigned today and you will still have 25 per cent credit if you plead guilty.”
A report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) found that the cost of housing an asylum keeper went from £17,000 per person in 2019/20 to £41,000 in 2023/24.
Based on the figures, the family would cost £164,000 a year to house since they arrived.
A Home Office spokesperson said at the time: “It would be inappropriate to comment on an ongoing investigation”.
However, it added: “Where there are concerns of abuse of the asylum system, we ensure that these are thoroughly investigated and appropriate action is taken.”
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