LONDON: More than 30 people were arrested on Thursday in raids on five restaurants in the heart of London’s Chinatown district in a crackdown on illegal workers, the British government said.

About 100 immigration officers picked up a mixture of Chinese and Malaysian nationals, none of whom had permission to work in Britain, in the Soho area of central London.

The Home Office (interior ministry) said in a statement that steps will now be taken to remove those arrested from Britain while the businesses could face fines for employing illegal workers.

Immigration Minister Liam Byrne said Britain was to roll out a new biometric visa programme in China in the next few weeks, forcing every visa applicant to give their fingerprints.

“Taken together, we are creating a triple ring of security – before travel, at the border and within the UK for those here illegally,” he added.

Britain now issues biometric visas in more than 100 countries worldwide. In September, 100,000 foreign nationals provided data before being allowed to travel. The government said the scheme would be widened to 135 countries by April next year.—AFP