Editorial

Commentary on the Blin Affair
Angelique Blin is the central character in what is turning out to be a nasty affair involving some questionable, quite possibly unlawful, activities undertaken by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC). Ms Blin ran a UK based immigration consultancy, Overseas Angels, which provided health auxiliary personnel such as carers. In 2006, her firm was stricken from the register by Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner following a prolonged internet attack by a company she identifies as one of her competitors. Undaunted, Ms Blin moved her company offshore to the Channel Islands and thus out of reach by the OISC. In a fit of pique, the OISC then hired a thug to trash her offices in Guernsey, and even convinced the local police to conduct a raid. The police raid uncovered no illegal activities, and Ms Blin has sued the OISC to end their harassment. That constitutes Ms Blin's side of the story. The OISC's side of the story is opaque because they refuse to answer questions about it, and indeed it is unrealistic to expect that an agency of the British government would readily admit to hiring thugs in the first instance. Studying the documentation, however, we have been able to piece together the following items which can be absolutely and unquestionably nailed down. Taken as a whole, this collection is a damning indictment of an agency which has gone bad (per documents provided by Ms Blin): Ms Blin's premises in Guernsey was trashed and then raided by the police (confirmed in email by the Guernsey Police); The Guernsey Police found no evidence of wrong-doing (confirmed in email by the Guernsey Police); In the investigation that followed, vital documents and files pertaining to the case and especially pertinent to the hiring of personnel to conduct offshore operations were "lost" by the OISC (confirmed in email by Linda Allen, Deputy Immigration Services Commissioner) The OISC has a documented history of using intimidation and other forms of harassment to push out immigration advisers who might otherwise qualify as competent and ethical (stated in a briefing prepared by the Borders and Immigration Agency Enforcement and Compliance Policy Development dated 7 February 2008); Prolonged internet attacks of the sort Ms Blin endured are a violation of the OISC's published rules, and yet the OISC has done nothing to stop it in Ms Blin's case (confirmed in email by Linda Allen, Deputy Immigration Services Commissioner); The inevitable question now arises: why has there been no public enquiry? Can all of this be simply swept under the rug and forgotten about? We certainly hope not.
Related documents: Managed Migration Tier 4 Review Ashton appoints Public Guardian Board Review of the Regulation of Immigration Advice and Services
Fair right of reply extended to both Ms Blin and the OISC on 5 Jan 2008

Commentary on the Blin Affair

Angelique Blin is the central character in what is turning out to be a nasty affair involving some questionable, quite possibly unlawful, activities undertaken by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC).

Ms Blin ran a UK based immigration consultancy, Overseas Angels, which provided health auxiliary personnel such as carers. In 2006, her firm was stricken from the register by Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner following a prolonged internet attack by a company she identifies as one of her competitors. Undaunted, Ms Blin moved her company offshore to the Channel Islands and thus out of reach by the OISC. In a fit of pique, the OISC then hired a thug to trash her offices in Guernsey, and even convinced the local police to conduct a raid. The police raid uncovered no illegal activities, and Ms Blin has sued the OISC to end their harassment. That constitutes Ms Blin's side of the story.

The OISC's side of the story is opaque because they refuse to answer questions about it, and indeed it is unrealistic to expect that an agency of the British government would readily admit to hiring thugs in the first instance. Studying the documentation, however, we have been able to piece together the following items which can be absolutely and unquestionably nailed down. Taken as a whole, this collection is a damning indictment of an agency which has gone bad (per documents provided by Ms Blin):

Ms Blin's premises in Guernsey was trashed and then raided by the police (confirmed in email by the Guernsey Police);
The Guernsey Police found no evidence of wrong-doing (confirmed in email by the Guernsey Police);
In the investigation that followed, vital documents and files pertaining to the case and especially pertinent to the hiring of personnel to conduct offshore operations were "lost" by the OISC (confirmed in email by Linda Allen, Deputy Immigration Services Commissioner)
The OISC has a documented history of using intimidation and other forms of harassment to push out immigration advisers who might otherwise qualify as competent and ethical (stated in a briefing prepared by the Borders and Immigration Agency Enforcement and Compliance Policy Development dated 7 February 2008);
Prolonged internet attacks of the sort Ms Blin endured are a violation of the OISC's published rules, and yet the OISC has done nothing to stop it in Ms Blin's case (confirmed in email by Linda Allen, Deputy Immigration Services Commissioner);

The inevitable question now arises: why has there been no public enquiry? Can all of this be simply swept under the rug and forgotten about? We certainly hope not.

Fair right of reply extended to both Ms Blin and the OISC on 5 Jan 2008

Public WatchdogBased in the United Kingdom admin@public-watchdog.co.uk

Editorial

Commentary on the Blin Affair

Public Watchdog
Based in the United Kingdom

admin@public-watchdog.co.uk