THE Home Office was shamed today after it emerged Gurkhas had been wrongly turned down for family visas in a DNA scandal.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid issued a grovelling apology as he revealed hundreds of migrants had been “unlawfully” asked to provide DNA samples with their UK visa applications.

He ordered a complete review of the current immigration system – to ensure it was “fit for the modern world”.

At least 449 people including 51 relatives of Gurkhas discharged before 1997 were ordered to offer up DNA despite strict guidance saying it wasn’t necessary, the Cabinet Minister told the Commons.

Four relatives of one Gurkha solider – thought to be his children – were denied leave to remain because they refused to do so.

Seven other migrants of various nationalities also had their applications rejected on the same grounds.

Mr Javid added that relatives of Afghan nationals who worked for the Government in the war on terror were also wrongly asked for DNA to prove who they were. Current investigations hadn’t found any who refused.

All cases are thought to date from 2013.

Mr Javid said: “Regardless of the numbers of people that have been affected, one cases is too many.

“I’m determined to get to the bottom of how and why in some cases people can be compelled to supply DNA evidence in the first place.”

He told Tory backbenchers it didn’t matter if MPs believed migrants SHOULD provide DNA to back up visa applications – it was against the law to ask.

The scandal follows the shock resignation of former Home Secretary Amber Rudd over the Windrush affair in May.

And it comes with the Home Office preparing to process a whopping 3.5 million applications from EU nationals for the right to remain in Brexit Britain.

Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott demanded to know “how long and under what internal regime was this allowed and encouraged and at what level”. She said it called into question the "hostile environment" immigration strategy under Theresa May when she ran the Home Office.

Labour backbencher Yvette Cooper said any review had to calculate whether the PM’s net migration target had an effect on “decisions that may have been made” in certain cases.

Sajid Javid defended Theresa May by saying she had issued clear guidance in 2014 that there should be no mandatory requests for DNA.

But Tory backbencher Nick Boles demanded the he put his own mark on the Home Office. He said: “If that means retiring some legacy policies then so be it”.