Wednesday, 01 October, 2025
A Bangladeshi-origin Labour politician allegedly misused his office to secure UK immigration visas for 41 family members and friends from his native country, according to an investigation by The Telegraph.
Councillor Mohammad Amirul Islam, who served as deputy mayor and later mayor of Enfield, reportedly sent both official and doctored letters bearing the council’s crest to the British High Commission in Dhaka, the report said.
The letters were intended to ensure that the visa applications for his relatives and friends would be treated “favourably,” it added.
The letters, which The Telegraph claims to have seen, show Amirul urging embassy officials to “ensure a smooth visa application process” for his “good friends” and family to attend his inauguration as mayor.
These letters, which were dated before he became mayor, included passport numbers and birthdates to expedite processing.
Amirul, 47, is now under investigation by the Home Office for alleged immigration offences. His actions were deemed to have brought the council into disrepute by using his position improperly to help friends, family, and associates obtain visas for personal gain.
A 160-page independent investigation commissioned by the council found that some of these letters were sent a year before Amirul even became mayor, raising questions about his motives.
The report, marked “restricted”, further detailed that some letters were “doctored” by Amirul to appear official, a claim he reportedly denied.
The investigation revealed that 13 letters were sent using the official mayoral office team. Six more letters were prepared and sent by Islam himself. Investigators believe that the remaining 11 letters were also sent by Amirul, despite his denials.
The letters, all signed by Amirul or a council employee acting on his behalf, expressed “full support and endorsement” for relatives and friends visiting the UK for his mayoral ceremony.
Many concluded by requesting that embassy officials “consider their visa applications favourably”.
Amirul justified his actions by claiming that he was merely following practices set by previous mayors. However, the investigation concluded that he “went beyond” acceptable practices, misusing his office to help various individuals with visa applications.
The report says that while supporting visa applications for overseas guests to attend official events is typical, Amirul’s actions raised concerns due to their timing and scope. Some letters were sent months before the event, and others, after the event had already taken place.
The report adds that his actions were “unacceptable”, with evidence suggesting a clear pattern of behaviour where he used council resources to support visa applications without proper authorisation.
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A Bangladeshi-origin Labour politician allegedly misused his office to secure UK immigration visas for 41 family members and friends from his native country, according to an investigation by The Telegraph.
Councillor Mohammad Amirul Islam, who served as deputy mayor and later mayor of Enfield, reportedly sent both official and doctored letters bearing the council’s crest to the British High Commission in Dhaka, the report said.
The letters were intended to ensure that the visa applications for his relatives and friends would be treated “favourably,” it added.
The letters, which The Telegraph claims to have seen, show Amirul urging embassy officials to “ensure a smooth visa application process” for his “good friends” and family to attend his inauguration as mayor.
These letters, which were dated before he became mayor, included passport numbers and birthdates to expedite processing.
Amirul, 47, is now under investigation by the Home Office for alleged immigration offences. His actions were deemed to have brought the council into disrepute by using his position improperly to help friends, family, and associates obtain visas for personal gain.
A 160-page independent investigation commissioned by the council found that some of these letters were sent a year before Amirul even became mayor, raising questions about his motives.
The report, marked “restricted”, further detailed that some letters were “doctored” by Amirul to appear official, a claim he reportedly denied.
The investigation revealed that 13 letters were sent using the official mayoral office team. Six more letters were prepared and sent by Islam himself. Investigators believe that the remaining 11 letters were also sent by Amirul, despite his denials.
The letters, all signed by Amirul or a council employee acting on his behalf, expressed “full support and endorsement” for relatives and friends visiting the UK for his mayoral ceremony.
Many concluded by requesting that embassy officials “consider their visa applications favourably”.
Amirul justified his actions by claiming that he was merely following practices set by previous mayors. However, the investigation concluded that he “went beyond” acceptable practices, misusing his office to help various individuals with visa applications.
The report says that while supporting visa applications for overseas guests to attend official events is typical, Amirul’s actions raised concerns due to their timing and scope. Some letters were sent months before the event, and others, after the event had already taken place.
The report adds that his actions were “unacceptable”, with evidence suggesting a clear pattern of behaviour where he used council resources to support visa applications without proper authorisation.
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