Oxford University is best known for its world-class research and historic reputation.
But now, one of its academics finds herself facing serious allegations that could shake both the university and the immigration system.
Dr. Ozlem Galip, a Kurdish studies researcher and refugee campaigner, is accused of secretly running an illegal operation to help businesses bring migrant workers into the UK.
What makes the case even more striking is that she was receiving a taxpayer-funded research grant worth nearly a quarter of a million pounds at the very same time.
How the Alleged Operation Worked
According to claims, Dr. Galip charged small business owners thousands of pounds to arrange Home Office sponsorship licences.
These licences allow companies to legally hire overseas workers.
But the problem? She reportedly did so without being registered as an official immigration adviser, which is required by law.
Some clients even said she told them to lie to government officials if questioned and to deny ever working with her.
In one particularly shocking case, she is accused of creating a “ghost visa,” using a shop owner’s licence to bring in an extra worker without the owner’s knowledge.
A Business Owner Left Stunned
One supermarket owner in Bournemouth, Onur Payasli, explained how he thought he was hiring Dr. Galip to help bring in a manager for his store.
He paid her around £2,000 for the process—cheaper than other providers.
But months later, he discovered his licence had also been used to bring in another Turkish worker listed as a “sales supervisor,” someone he had never even met. That worker has since disappeared.
When Payasli confronted Dr. Galip, he said she admitted to helping someone but insisted she hadn’t taken money for it.
He also shared WhatsApp messages where she allegedly warned him not to complain to the Home Office, telling him he would “suffer the most” if he did.
Loopholes in the Home Office System
This case highlights worrying gaps in the Home Office’s visa sponsorship system.
Business owners claim their accounts were set up without their knowledge, using Dr. Galip’s personal Gmail address instead of their own.
In fact, another restaurant owner in east London told investigators she too had paid Dr. Galip—this time £560—to secure a licence.
Later, she said she was told to lie about Dr. Galip’s involvement when questioned by officials.
The Gmail address in question, according to reports, was also linked to a Turkish restaurant in Brighton run by Dr. Galip’s own family.
Academic and Activist Background
Dr. Galip is not a little-known figure. She holds a PhD in Kurdish Studies, has taught at Oxford University, and is a research fellow involved in projects aimed at “empowering women.”
Her blog, Women of Resistance, openly criticises what she calls systemic ethnocentrism and “assumptions of white superiority.”
She has also worked with Kurdish NGOs and refugee organisations.
That’s why the allegations of her running an unregulated immigration service have come as such a shock to many who viewed her primarily as an activist and scholar.
Denials and Legal Defence
Despite the mounting claims from multiple business owners, Dr. Galip has strongly denied all wrongdoing.
Through her lawyers, she described the allegations as “unequivocally false,” stressing that she is a respected academic with an international reputation.
Interestingly, on the very day she was approached for comment by reporters, she filed paperwork with Companies House to strike her company, Galip & Co Immigration Ltd, from the business register.
Home Office Response
The Home Office has said it is taking the matter seriously.
A spokesperson stated: “Illegal activity will not be tolerated and we will stop at nothing to ensure our immigration rules are respected and enforced.”
For now, her case is part of ongoing legal proceedings, so officials have declined to comment further.
Bigger Picture of a Broken System
This isn’t just about one academic. Legitimate recruiters say the flaws in the sponsorship system have allowed hundreds of thousands of overseas workers into the UK under questionable circumstances.
Some even argue this immigration scandal could be bigger than the small boats crisis that dominates headlines.
Dr. Galip’s story is only one piece of the puzzle, but it exposes just how easy it might be to exploit loopholes in a system meant to be tightly regulated.
