Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner
Khalil Hosenbux, of Hubert Road, Rainham, Essex, was convicted on 19 August 2015 at Westminster Magistrates Court of providing unregulated immigration advice and services.
He was handed a conditional discharge for 18 months. He was also ordered to pay compensation to the victim in the sum of 2,050, prosecution costs of 1,020 and a victim surcharge of 15.
Mr Hosenbux is a qualified barrister and was a regulated immigration adviser until his suspension on 15 May 2013 following disciplinary proceedings for professional misconduct brought by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC).
Mr Hosenbux however, failed to abide by the suspension and continued to operate by submitting a Home Office application on behalf of a client, without disclosing that he was disqualified from doing so.
Sentencing him, District Judge Roscoe said:
I accept that this case is different from those normally before the court. You did have qualifications and knowledge of this type of work, but the other side of that is that you should have known better.
In your favour your early guilty plea and admissions to the OISC have been taken into consideration. This is just one offence and not a continuing course of fraudulent conduct although quite clearly, you shouldnt have done it.
Speaking about the decision, the Immigration Services Commissioner, Suzanne McCarthy said:
We have clear standards outlining what we expect in terms of the fitness and competence of regulated advisers. Mr Hosenbux chose to operate outside the law.
I am delighted with the outcome of this case, and I hope it sends a clear message to other people considering providing immigration advice either act within the law or you will find yourself in court.