A 46-year-old Blackburn man continued to provide an immigration advice service after he had let his registration with the relative authority lapse.

Hyndburn magistrates heard Shabir Yusuf took a payment of £650 from one family to make a new application to the Home Office.

However, at the time he was not legally able to do so.

Yusuf, of Heron Close, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to providing an immigration service in contravention of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.

The court heard Yusuf had been registered with the Immigration Service Commissioner but this had expired in July 2009 and had not been renewed despite him being sent a reminder.

He was handed the cheque for £650 in September and asked for it to be made out to AI Limited, a company which belonged to his brother.

Yusuf told the court he was hoping to find work as a cook but at the moment was dependant on his wife.