A Home Office blunder has mistakenly allowed foreign nationals to indefinitely live in the United Kingdom.
It is not yet known how many migrants were given the passport stamp which appears to grant them the right to live here indefinitely.
The Home Office’s own legal representatives described the stamp as being “shrouded in mystery”, The Daily Mail has revealed.
The crisis has hit the headlines after an Albanian failed asylum seeker was given the stamp in his travel documents after being stopped and quizzed at the UK border in 2020.
Border Force staff check passports of motorists arriving at the UK border after leaving a cross-channel ferry
GETTY
A subsequent legal challenge eventually concluded his claim to remain in the UK was invalid.
The Home Office has conceded the stamp relates to family members of Europeans coming to the UK.
However, it was unable to clarify when the stamp should legitimately be awarded or why it is being used mistakenly.
A Home Office insider told The Daily Mail: “This stamp could have been used thousands of times. We just don't know the true figure.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
A reflective sign displays the name of The Home Office in Marsham Street
GETTY
“Just when you think it can't get any worse, it does. It's a total farce.
“There's an unknown number of foreign nationals in this country who may be using this stamp to live here indefinitely.
“Most of them will entirely innocently think the stamp grants them those rights.”
Tory MP Simon Fell, who is a member of the Commons' Home Affairs Committee, expressed his concern with the development.
He said: “There are serious questions to be asked about the use of this stamp: not least how many individuals have it in their travel documents.”
An image of a passport being stamped
GETTY
“There is no room for confusion about this – either you have a right to be in the UK, or you don't.
“I'll be urgently asking questions regarding its use and the guidance given to officers.
“Any ambiguity here is concerning to individuals caught in the middle, but also to our wider border security too.”
A Home Office spokesman said: “Border Force's number one priority is to keep our borders safe and secure, and we will never compromise on this.
“It is longstanding government policy that we do not comment on operational matters.”