Iran-Linked Charity Granted Power to Sponsor UK Visas Despite Home Office Oversight Failures
A London-based charity with documented connections to the Iranian regime has been authorized by the Home Office to sponsor visas for migrant workers and religious ministers, exposing critical gaps in Britain’s immigration security framework. The Islamic Centre of England, located in Maida Vale, remains on the official register of visa sponsors despite being under active investigation by the Charity Commission for suspected ties to Tehran, a decision that has alarmed security experts and prompted the Great British PAC to launch a grassroots campaign demanding immediate action.
The discovery reveals how national security concerns have been systematically overlooked by government bureaucracy, prioritizing administrative convenience over public safety.
How the Centre Gained Sponsorship Powers
The Home Office granted the Islamic Centre of England authority to issue certificates of sponsorship, the essential documentation required for migrant workers to apply for UK entry. The centre has successfully issued multiple certificates since receiving its licence, though the Home Office claims it has not actively sponsored workers since 2022. This contradiction raises questions about why the Home Office maintains the centre’s sponsorship privileges if the organization poses sufficient concern to warrant ongoing investigation.
„Our government seems incapable of identifying our enemies and securing us from them.
First they refused to proscribe the IRGC. They were dragged kicking and screaming into doing so.
No sooner had they done it, they then invited in the enemy by allowing visas to be issued to those who share the IRGC’s ideology.
The first duty of government is to protect the country. Ours is wilfully putting us in harm’s way.“ - Ben Habib Chairman Great British PAC
Iranian Governance Ties Exposed During Investigation
The Charity Commission’s statutory inquiry uncovered alarming governance structures. Most damning was the discovery that the centre’s constitution previously required the board of trustees to include a religious representative designated by Iran’s supreme leader, an explicit structural link to Tehran’s highest authority that was only removed after the investigation began.
This revelation fundamentally contradicts the centre’s claims of independence and suggests the provision had remained unnoticed or unchallenged for years, highlighting serious failures in Home Office vetting procedures.
Propaganda Sales and Regime Sympathies
The investigation exposed the centre’s hosting of a “community bazaar” where vendors openly sold pro-Iranian regime merchandise, including Hezbollah-themed phone cases, pro-Iranian key rings, and stickers depicting General Qassim Soleimani, a commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), designated as a terrorist organization by Western governments.
When Soleimani was killed in a 2020 US airstrike, the centre held a candlelit vigil in his memory. Seyed Hashem Moosavi, the centre’s director, has publicly described Iranian regime protesters as “soldiers of Satan,” demonstrating ideological alignment with Tehran’s narratives.
National Security Concerns Ignored by the Home Office
Security experts have raised urgent alarms about how the Home Office could grant sponsorship authority to an organization with such a profile. These concerns are particularly acute given:
Recent Iranian threats: Tehran has explicitly threatened RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, underlining active tensions between Britain and Iran.
Small boat migration concerns: Intelligence assessments indicate the Iranian regime may be attempting to smuggle sympathizers and operatives into Britain through irregular migration channels across the English Channel. According to migrant observatory data, Iranian nationals account for the highest number of small boat arrivals since 2018, with 30,269 arrivals recorded, substantially more than any other nationality.
Visa sponsorship exploitation: Meanwhile, skilled worker visas peaked at approximately 130,000 approvals in 2024, creating a significant administrative channel through which regime-aligned individuals could potentially gain legitimate access.
Lord Walney, a former government adviser on political violence, expressed serious concern: “Given its history of controversy and status under ongoing investigation, it is alarming that the Islamic Centre of England is a registered visa sponsor. The Home Secretary seems to have inherited this completely unacceptable situation. She should urgently review the centre’s status.”
Critics argue that the Home Office has not explained why the sponsorship licence has remained in place while the Charity Commission investigation continues.
A Systemic Problem Beyond One Organisation
The Islamic Centre of England is not an isolated case. The Islamic College in Willesden, also an official visa sponsor, was founded by Saied Reza Ameli, a member of Iran’s Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution. The college has reported affiliations with Iran’s Al-Mustafa University, sanctioned by the US Treasury Department and accused of functioning as “an engine of indoctrination.”
The Telegraph additionally revealed that Islamic bookshops granted visa sponsorship powers stocked anti-Semitic materials and texts assessed by UK prisons as radicalization risks.
Lee Anderson MP commented: “Rather than doctors and engineers, we brought in staff for Islamic shops selling books on jihad. It is beyond belief that the Home Office did not realise this.”
The Government’s Inadequate Response
The Home Office stated it “treats the threat posed by the Iranian regime with the utmost seriousness” and has fast-tracked legislation to outlaw IRGC support. However, these statements ring hollow while organizations under serious investigation retain critical immigration powers.
A Home Office spokesperson claimed: “If wrongdoing is uncovered, those responsible will face the full force of the law.” Yet the centres in question continue operating their sponsorship licences despite investigations actively underway, a reactive rather than protective approach that fails to safeguard public security.
"This is exactly why so many people have lost confidence in our immigration system. Ordinary British citizens are expected to follow every rule, yet organisations under investigation for governance concerns linked to the Iranian regime are apparently trusted to sponsor visas.“ - Claire Bullivant CEO Great British PAC
The Great British PAC Demands Action
The Great British PAC has launched a petition demanding the Home Secretary take immediate action to reclaim control of immigration security from unaccountable bureaucracy. This grassroots campaign represents ordinary citizens exercising their democratic right to challenge government decisions that threaten national security.
The petition demands:
Immediate suspension of the Islamic Centre of England’s visa sponsorship licence pending Charity Commission investigation completion
Publication of the national security assessment justifying the sponsorship decision
Comprehensive review of whether organisations under serious regulatory investigation should sponsor visas
Prioritization of public safety and national security over administrative inertia
This is not a matter for backroom government decision-making. It is a matter for the people. Immigration policy that inadvertently facilitates security risks represents a fundamental failure of governance. The Great British PAC is calling on citizens to sign this petition and demand that the Home Office place public safety above bureaucratic convenience.
„The British people deserve answers. We are calling on the Home Secretary to suspend this licence immediately, publish the security assessment behind this decision, and ensure that Britain's immigration system puts national security ahead of bureaucratic inertia.“ - Claire Bullivant CEO Great British PAC
The people deserve a government that acts decisively to protect Britain’s borders and security. Sign the petition now and give power back to the people.
Graphic and AI-generated illustration by Great British PAC. Created for editorial and illustrative purposes.