A London-based charity under investigation over alleged links to the Iranian regime has the right to sponsor visas for skilled workers and religious ministers from overseas.
The Islamic Centre of England, based in Maida Vale, remains on the Home Office’s official register of licensed sponsors – allowing it to issue certificates of sponsorship for eligible migrant workers to apply for UK visas.
The organisation has previously used the scheme, although the Home Office said it has not sponsored any workers since 2022.
The charity is currently the subject of an ongoing Charity Commission investigation into its governance and alleged connections to the Iranian regime, according to the Telegraph.
As part of that inquiry, the centre removed governance rules requiring its board of trustees to include a religious representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader.
The centre has also faced scrutiny over events and activities hosted at its premises, referred to the Charity Commission after a community bazaar where vendors reportedly sold merchandise featuring symbols associated with the Iranian regime and Hezbollah.
Items included key rings, phone cases, and stickers depicting General Qassim Soleimani, the former commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who was killed in a US airstrike in 2020.
Controversially, the centre also held a candlelit vigil following his death.
The centre once held a candlelit vigil following his death of a former IRGC commander
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Seyed Hashem Moosavi, the centre’s imam and director, has previously described protesters against the Iranian government as “soldiers of Satan”.
Security experts and politicians have questioned whether organisations under investigation for alleged links to hostile foreign regimes should retain the authority to sponsor visas.
Lord Walney, a former government adviser on political violence, said it was “alarming” that the Islamic Centre of England remained a registered visa sponsor while subject to an ongoing inquiry.
He urged the Home Secretary to review the organisation’s licence and strengthen the criteria governing visa sponsorship.
Responding to the criticism, the Islamic Centre of England said it is an independent UK charity operating within British law.
A spokesman said the organisation is “not an official office or representative of any government, political entity, or individual”.
They insisted that, like many charities and faith organisations, it holds a Home Office sponsor licence permitting it to sponsor skilled workers where immigration requirements are met.
The spokesman acknowledged that questions had previously been raised about the centre’s relationship with the Iranian government, but said it has consistently maintained its independence and charitable purpose.
The Islamic Centre of England said it is an independent UK charity operating within British law
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Meanwhile, the Islamic College in Willesden, north-west London, also appears on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors.
The college was founded by Saied Reza Ameli, a former senior Iranian official, and has previously been reported to have links with Iran’s Al-Mustafa University – an institution sanctioned by the US Treasury.
The college has denied claims of affiliation, describing them as unfounded.
A Home Office spokesman said the Government takes threats linked to the Iranian regime “with the utmost seriousness”, and that if wrongdoing is uncovered, those responsible could face criminal prosecution, loss of licences, and other enforcement action.
