British men are being paid thousands of pounds to pose as the fathers of migrant women's children, a BBC investigation has found.

An investigation by the BBC's Newsnight program revealed that British men were being offered up to £10,000 to have their names added to birth certificates, giving the children British citizenship and the mothers the chance to stay in the country. Scammers use Facebook to advertise this business and claim to have helped thousands of women this way. Facebook responded by saying that such content is simply prohibited by its rules.

The BBC Newsnight investigation found that the fraud was taking place in a variety of communities in Britain, mainly Asian and African. There is a network of agents across the UK who find British men to be fake fathers.

The fraud was discovered by undercover people who came into contact with such agents. Ana Gonzalez, an immigration lawyer, was quoted by the BBC as saying this type of fraud was "incredibly complex and difficult for the police". She pointed out that to a large extent this shows how desperate these women are and what they are prepared to do to secure the right to remain in the UK.

If a migrant woman is in the UK illegally and gives birth to a child by a British citizen or permanent resident, the baby is automatically granted citizenship at birth. The mother can then apply for a family visa which will give her the right to stay in the UK and at some stage apply for British citizenship.

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