London: A British government campaign to curb visa fraud at source was expanded to Tamil Nadu on Friday during UK Foreign Office Minister Seema Malhotra's visit to India.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said the initiative aims to reduce the number of Indians travelling to the UK on fake visas, with both countries working together to protect travellers from scams and address illegal migration.

Malhotra, the UK's Indo-Pacific minister, launched the campaign in Chennai following a successful pilot in Punjab. She said the government is acting to stop illegal migration “at its source” by targeting hotspot areas to prevent visa fraud and protect people.

The expanded campaign will include outreach in high-risk areas and a Tamil-language WhatsApp chatbot to help Indian nationals identify scams and avoid fraudulent agents, the FCDO said.

The initiative aligns with wider UK crackdowns on illegal migration led by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who has introduced measures in Parliament to curb asylum arrivals and penalise human traffickers.

According to the FCDO, the campaign reflects the growing momentum of the India-UK partnership, building on the 'UK-India Vision 2035' commitment to combat exploitation by criminal networks and reduce irregular migration.

Malhotra's visit also supports the recently signed Free Trade Agreement (FTA), projected to boost bilateral trade by 25.5 billion pounds annually. She said she would review how the FTA will create jobs and attract investment to the UK.

Her India visit follows Prime Minister Keir Starmer's trade mission last month and includes meetings with British businesses in Chennai and Bengaluru — including Tesco, Revolut and BT — to assess how the FTA is benefiting them.

From India, Malhotra will travel to the Maldives to review UK assistance on climate resilience, including a mangrove conservation project in Huraa. She will also meet senior Maldivian ministers to deepen cooperation on clean energy, maritime security and counterterrorism as both nations mark 60 years of diplomatic ties, the FCDO said.